What’s your current position at your brewery, and how did you get started in the craft brewing industry?
I’m the co-founder and president of Brewery Vivant and Broad Leaf Brewery & Spirits. My husband Jason and I started Vivant in 2010 and added Broad Leaf in 2019. I started drinking Bell’s Amber during college in the late 90’s and was hooked ever since. I met Jason in 2001 at his first brewery while I was in the office furniture industry and regularly enjoyed many happy hours with my colleagues. I fell in love with him and with being a part of the industry and in 2007 we started planning for our brewery.

What’s the best part of being a part of the craft brewing community?
I love the true camaraderie and community spirit that is inherent in this industry. The passion to create great products and to pull people together through sharing that passion is so special and rare to find anywhere else.

Name a favorite food and beer pairing.
I always enjoy pairing beer and cheese. It’s just so easy! A current favorite is a nice crisp lager with a log of a great goat cheese.

What’s your biggest accomplishment unrelated to your job?
I’m the mom of two great kids, ages 8 and 10, and I’m so proud of them. Nothing compares to watching them grow up and develop into their unique selves. Their generation will have a lot on their shoulders as they turn into adults so we are doing our best to prepare them to add to the solutions rather than create more problems.

What’s your favorite beer from another brewery?
I dream often about Russian River’s Consecration. I had it many years ago while on a business trip and couldn’t get enough of it. It was a great influence in developing my love of sour beers.

What do you like to do in your time away from the brewery?
I love cooking, being outside, and I have an insatiable curiosity, so am always reading multiple books and listening to way too many podcasts.

What’s the most memorable travel destination at which you’ve had a chance to sample the local beer?
Jason and I did a brewery tour in southern Belgium and northern France in 2008 as we were planning our brewery. We mostly went to tiny towns and drank the town’s flagship beers and fell in love instantly with that scene. It was a huge influence in our desire to initially focus on those styles of beers and to be so active in our local community. Brasserie de Charmoy in Mouzay, France was definitely a highlight in sourcing locally and offering a beautiful guest experience.