Meet the Instructors

Dewey is our Head Butcher here at France 44. He has nearly 20 years of industry experience and is constantly excited to share that knowledge with others who are eager to learn.

Anna is the Marketing Coordinator here at France 44, and comes from a background in baking and pastry. She has loved getting to learn more about cheese & wine at France 44 and when she's not at work, you can find Anna gardening, seeing live music, and tending to her sourdough starter, Massimo.

Austin is the DTC Foods Classes Coordinator for France 44 Events, a Cheese Buyer at the France 44 Cheese Shop, and our resident cheese maker. When he’s not behind the cheese counter or leading classes in the Events Space, he can be found reading, gardening, or in the kitchen coming up with new class ideas to share with out customers and staff.

Brent is an Assistant Manager and Cheese Buyer at the France 44 Cheese Shop. When he's not running around the Cheese Shop, Brent loves to spend his time studying (and, of course, drinking) wine, reading, playing golf, and trying as many restaurants as he can around the Twin Cities. 

Chris is the Head Baker at France 44. When his hands are not covered in flour and dough they are covered with grease, oil and debris from antique tractors. He was the owner and operator of Fire & Flour Bread and was once featured in a national magazine as one of the top ten up-and-coming bakers to watch. 

Chris is an agave aficionado and has his WSET Level 1 Certification in Wines. Outside of France 44, he is also a local guide and history buff, and runs a private concierge service called the Twin City Squire. Find him reading up on Minnesota history on a slow day at the registers.

Emily started working on the wine team at France 44 in 2022 following many years working in Twin Cities restaurants, and she has her WSET Level 3 in wine. Her favorite styles of wine are always changing, as is the dynamic world of wine! Her fridge and bar are consistently stocked with cheap bubbles, way too many jars of pickles, and Fernet Branca.

Kaleigh received her WSET 1-3 certifications through France 44 Wines and Spirits where she works part time on the events team and assists and teaches public classes. She works full time in communications at the University of Minnesota. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, playing and watching volleyball, spending time with her cats and working on house projects.

Nora is a postpartum personal chef, caterer, and food writer who has taught cooking classes to kids and adults since 2013. She studied nutrition and culinary arts at Bastyr University and after 20 soggy years in Seattle, has returned to Minnesota to share her love of food and to convince her two young children to love any food at all.

Sophia has been with the France 44 Cheese Shop since 2019, though she has worked in cheese since 2015 in her hometown of Brooklyn, NY. She combines her passion for food and wine in pairing classes and loves to tell stories of the farmers and cheesemakers who make the cheeses we adore possible. 

Troy joined our wine team in 2024. He has his CWP and WSET III certification in wine. He left his technology career behind to pursue his passion in wine and wine travel. When Troy’s not selling our guests delicious wines, he’s more than likely traveling through wine country in Europe with his wife and fellow wine lover, Jenn. Troy loves bringing his wine adventures to life through his wine recommendations.

Winston is a dentist by day and a wine enthusiast and educator by night. He received his WSET Diploma in Wine in 2024. As a native of Buffalo, New York, Winston loves drinking both classy, complex wines and trashy, refreshing beers. 

Zoe runs our catering team here at France 44. She comes to us with a both a culinary and pastry background, and is passionate about culinary education & helping people figure out how to cook more at home. Zoe is looking forward to bringing some new ideas to the catering, events, and class offerings, and working with all of the different teams to do so!