Board of Directors

James Peden is the wine director for the Liberty Entertainment Group in Toronto and is responsible for the wine and beverage programs at all 7 properties including BlueBlood Steakhouse in Casa Loma, and three Cibo Wine Bars. Prior to this James worked as the Head Sommelier at Treadwell Farm-to-Table in Niagara-on-the-Lake. During this time, James curated a list with over 150 VQA wines and developed strong relationships with wineries and winemakers in the Niagara Peninsula. This strong attachment to Niagara is why he decided to run for the CAPS board as an ambassador for the region. After passing the Advanced...

Steven Campbell is a sommelier and the Grand Fromage of Lifford Wines & Spirits which sells wine coast to coast in Canada. A passionate cook, he opened his first restaurant in 1978 where he discovered the noble grape. In 1985 Steven purchased Delisle Wine Bar where he won eight consecutive Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence for having one of the most outstanding wine lists in the world. In 1994 he left the kitchen, grabbed his corkscrew and purchased Lifford Wine Agencies,  a small, independent wine agency. Lifford became a pioneer in importing premium wines for the hospitality industry and today...

  After a long career as a marketing professional, Shagun decided to follow her passion and immersed herself in all things wine. After moving from New York to Toronto in 2017, she enrolled in the CAPS program at George Brown, which not only enriched her knowledge, but helped her connect to some amazing individuals of the food and beverage industry. Actively working and collaborating in the industry, and continuing her education in wine with WSET, she also shares her experiences under “PhenomOenology” on Instagram. Her passion for food and wines has led her to travel to different parts of the...

Manuel Gonzalez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. His journey with wine began in 2015 when he decided that this was going to be his area of study. He graduated as a CAPS certified sommelier the following year from Niagara College. In 2018, he successfully completed the CMS exam finishing with the highest grade overall and was thus awarded the Walter Clore Scholarship. Manny's experience includes a rewarding stage position at one of Ontario’s notable restaurants, Quatrefoil, under the supervision of Jose Luis Fernandez, 2019 winner of Best Ontario Sommelier presented by CAPS. He currently holds the Head Sommelier position at...