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Vicki

Vicky Martinez, Wine and Beverage Director

Vicky Martinez brings nearly two decades of experience in the resort-hotel food and beverage industry to the Panache team.

A native of Southern California, Martinez came to Utah in the mid 1970's to enjoy the outstanding recreational opportunities afforded in the beautiful Wasatch mountains. An avid skier, she returned to school at the University of Utah to study business management. At the same time, she started part time work in Snowbird's Food and Beverage Division. Martinez soon found that she had a particularly fine-tuned palate and passionate interest in every aspect of wine. By the late 1980's Vicky had created a unique niche amongst Utah's famous resorts as Snowbird's Sommelier-Wine Director. The work of Martinez is clearly reflected in the extensive wine menus and staff awareness of food and wine pairing in Snowbird's five primary restaurants—Steak Pit, Wildflower, Lodge Club Bistro, Keyhole Junction and Aerie Restaurant.

Under Vicky's direction Snowbird's nationally recognized wine program reached international stature with the annual Winterfeast Wine Festival. This three day celebration of food, wine and skiing attracted the crème de la crème of winemakers and chefs from around the world to share their knowledge and talents with festival-goers.

In the interim between leaving Snowbird and joining the Panache team, Martinez conducted wine tastings and educational seminars for private and corporate groups and worked as a consultant for a wide variety of restaurant clients. In 2001, Vicky represented the resort market of the United States wine industry at the Swiss Wine Symposium held in Zermatt, Switzerland. In 2002 she represented Utah wine accounts on the Winebow Northern Italian Tour and in that same year consulted for sponsor and corporate clients during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Most recently, Vicky's unquenchable thirst for knowledge took her to Juhl Haus where she worked as General Manager. Delving as deeply into the great cheeses of the world as deeply as she has in wine, Vicky produced one of the most detailed cheese and wine flavor pairing programs in the country.

Today, Vicky brings all her experience to Panache where our driving quest will always be to search out the very best of food and beverage and sharing what we have discovered with our clients and customers.