Mark Nicholas Ricca Jr.

I started in 1984 going to a small culinary school in NYC.  Pursuit of fine food was an obsession.  My first year in the business, I was committed to working 80+ hours a week building my skills and knowledge as quickly as I could.  While I was doing this exposure to fine wine was unavoidable and quickly competed with food for my attention.  In 1988 I received a copy of Robert M. Parker Jr.'s "Bordeaux" as a gift.  Even though I would remain a culinary professional for another 12 years, fine wine became a passion which still remains.
In those 12 years I ran many good kitchens in and around NYC, went to the south of France to study in the kitchen of Andre Daguin, worked numerous events at the James Beard House, and was reviewed by Eric Asimov in the NY Times for his "$25.00 and Under" column.
After nearly 19 years in kitchens, an opportunity to manage a small wine department in an upscale supermarket to me from cooking to fine wine.  I approached wine the same way I did food......headlong and as fast as I could go.  Every tasting event I could attend, every winemaker's dinner, every anything wasn't enough.  After 7 years as a wine professional, I decided to take the WSET course at the International Wine Center in NYC.  I went in directly at the Advanced Level 3 course and passed it with merit. 
I have taught basic wine 101 courses, advanced courses in wine and food pairing (for which I prepared all the food), blogged about food and wine, and traveled to wine regions on 3 continents.