Wine & BeverageServiceOffice & Admin
Monica Samuels
Director of Sake & Spirits, President | Vine Connections, Kome Collective
Experience
2025 - Present
President
Kome CollectiveSausalito, CA
2021 - 2025
Vice President of Sake & Spirits
Kome CollectiveSausalito, CA
2021 - 2021
Judge
US National Sake AppraisalNew York, NY
2020 - Present
Panel Chair
International Wine Challenge - Sake CategoryNew York, NY
2019 - 2019
"Future 50" Award Recipient
WSET and IWCSNew York, NY
2018 - 2021
Director of Sake & Spirits
Vine ConnectionsNew York, NY
2017 - 2020
Senior Judge
International Wine Challenge - Sake CategoryNew York, NY
2017 - 2017
"Sake Samurai" Award Recipient
Japan Sake Brewers Association Junior CouncilJapan
2015 - 2017
Judge
International Wine Challenge - Sake CategoryNew York, NY
2014 - 2015
Associate Judge
International Wine Challenge - Sake CategoryNew York, NY
2014 - 2018
National Sake Sales Manager
Vine ConnectionsNew York, NY
2010 - 2011
Sake Contributor
Serious EatsNew York, NY
2009 - 2009
Sake Educator
Tasters Guild InternationalNew York, NY
2014 - 2014
"40 Under 40" Tastemaker Award Recipient
Wine Enthusiast MagazineNew York, NY
2011 - 2011
Judge
US National Sake AppraisalNew York, NY
2008 - 2014
Sake Ambassador
Southern Wine & SpiritsNew York, NY
2013 - 2013
Instructor
Japan Sake Export CommitteeNew York, NY
2006 - 2008
Corporate Sake Sommelier
SushiSamba CorporateNew York, NY
2005 - 2006
Assistant General Manager
SushiSambaNew York, NY
2005 - 2005
Head Server
SushiSambaNew York, NY
Education
2015
Sake Educator Certification (L3)
WSET New York, NY
2008
Advanced Sake Professional (ASP) Certification
Sake Education Council
2007
Certified Sake Professional (CSP) Certification
Sake Education Council
2005
Foundation Course
American Sommelier Association
Advice from Monica Samuels
Quotes about career path, skills, and teamwork from an industry leader.
I live and die by my Outlook calendar and I know that if I don’t schedule time to exercise, grocery shop, call friends/family, weeks will go by without it happening.
Motivation and charisma, at the end of the day, are much more important to me than certifications when hiring; I love to educate our team about sake internally and I think getting people excited about sake can be so much more about the stories behind the producers than the technical details.
We also internally support certifications through WSET and John Gauntner’s Sake Education Council, so we can turn someone with great potential into a sake superstar as long as they have star quality and drive.
It’s important to me that there is a road map for everyone on my team in terms of how they want to grow within our company.
In general during their first year with us it becomes clear what areas people are more passionate about than others, so working to create opportunities that tap into that passion while also driving company revenue is a fun challenge. Our producers are so generous with their time both virtually and in-person, which provides constant inspiration to us all.
Social media from my favorite sake bars and sake sommeliers in Japan is a really fun way to learn about what producers are relevant at the moment domestically, and helps me to explore how to further develop our portfolio.
I’m also lucky to be a WSET sake educator, where the team is constantly updating and improving textbook material based on new developments in the industry, and I have several friends in the industry who have released their own books over the years that I’m always learning something new from.
Roles in Wine & Beverage
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