Our Experts
Food Republic's experts bring extensive backgrounds in cooking, baking, and all things food-related.
Chris Blatner
Chris Blatner is an Executive Bourbon Steward and the creator of the popular Instagram page @‌urbanbourbonist. He appears frequently as a guest whiskey expert on podcasts and is an independent consultant for whiskey and spirits brands. Chris presents educational whiskey segments on local television in Chicago, IL as well as national television. Chris also serves as the Executive Director of Bourbon Charity.
Catherine Fallis
Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis is known for her approachable and consumer-friendly wine expertise. She played a pivotal role in wine acquisition and content creation while leading the Sommelier team at Bright Cellars for 15 months. She later launched Planet Grape Wine Review, America's first female-led wine review platform. Educated at Cornell University, she became the fifth woman in the world to earn the Master Sommelier title and is the only person to also hold the Advanced Certified Wine Professional title from the Culinary Institute of America. Her latest book is "Ten Grapes to Know, the Ten and Done Wine Guide."
Sarah Fennel
Sarah Fennel is the baker, photographer, and recipe developer behind the incredibly popular Broma Bakery, the social and digital platform founded in 2010 with nearly 2.3 million followers across Instagram and TikTok. Sarah, a self-taught baker from Boston, MA, started her highly visual blog Broma Bakery in 2010, combining her love of photography and insatiable sweet tooth. For more than a decade, Broma Bakery has garnered a massive, loyal following with recipes ranging from classic cookies and cakes to unique brownies, playful pies, and indulgent ice creams, as well as recipes rooted in nostalgic Americana desserts with a modern twist like blueberry muffin cookies, tiramisu layer cake, and fluffernutter blondies. Sarah is also the founder of Foodtography School, a collection of courses and digital products sold to over 12,000 food bloggers, photographers, influencers, and small business owners. Sarah's debut cookbook is titled "Sweet Tooth: 100 Desserts to Save Room For (A Baking Book)."
Molly Horn
Molly Horn is the Chief Mixologist and Spirits Educator for Total Wine & More, the country's largest independent wine, spirits and beer retailer. She has over a decade of expertise in developing and managing bar programs in the Washington Metro area and was Head Bartender at Farmers Restaurant Group, one of the busiest operations on the East Coast. Molly's many responsibilities at Total Wine & More include tasting and marketing new first-to-market spirits, as well as educating sales floor team members on spirits and mixology. Molly is passionate about spirits and crafting cocktails and uses her training as a Certified Sommelier to inform her tasting and reviewing process.
Doreen Winkler
Doreen Winkler is a natural wine sommelier, orange wine expert, and founder of Orange Glou, the world's first orange wine subscription service and only brick-and-mortar store dedicated solely to skin contact wines, as well as Orange Glou Wine Fair, North America's first fair devoted to skin contact wines. Named one of "America's Top Sommeliers" by Forbes, Doreen is one of the first sommeliers who created wine lists focused on natural, organic and biodynamic wines. She's developed wine programs for Michelin-starred restaurants, bars and wine retailers, including at Aska and Aldea in NYC, where her program received the World of Fine Wine Best Wine List Award.