Valentine Vodka Adds 94-point Ranking from The Tasting Panel to Growing List of Accolades

Detroit-made Valentine Vodka has been recognized by Anthony Dias Blue, editor-in-chief of The Tasting Panel magazine as one of the top vodkas in the country with a 94-point ranking – placing higher than noted international brands like Belvedere, Ketel One, Grey Goose and Absolut.

“Returning to Michigan to start this venture, my goal was to craft a product that competes with the elite imported brands,” says Owner/Distiller Rifino Valentine. “With these latest rankings from the most well-respected wine and spirits reviewer, it really is satisfying that we were able to do just that! Now, we can truly say that you’re not just buying local, you’re buying better!”

Blue, a recipient of a 2001 James Beard Foundation Award as well as the 1997 Communicator of the Year Award from the prestigious International Wine & Spirits Competition in London, is one of the most influential food and wine personalities in the United States. In addition to being an owner and editor of The Tasting Panel, Blue is Executive Director of the San Francisco International Wine Competition – the nation’s largest and most prestigious judging events of its kind and is also the founding Director of its sister event, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Earlier this year, Valentine Vodka was awarded a Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In 2011, this Michigan-made product received a Double Gold Medal in the “Best Domestic Vodka” category by TheFiftyBest.com. The Beverage Tasting Institute also awarded Valentine Vodka with a Gold Medal “Exceptional” in both 2010 and 2011.

As Detroit’s first micro-distilled spirit since Prohibition, the award-winning Valentine Vodka continues to raise the bar for ultra-premium hand-crafted vodka with its clean, crisp and uniquely flavorful taste. As one of the first distilleries in the world to use a triple-grain recipe, Valentine Vodka is hand distilled from a blend of Red Michigan wheat, malted barley and corn, and is proud to use a 100% American supply chain.

After three years of intense research and study, Valentine Vodka reached the market in March, 2009. From Christmas 2009 to the same time 2010, sales for Valentine Vodka quadrupled. In April 2011, production moved to a 5000-square-foot facility in Ferndale and in February 2012 production once again expanded with the addition of a new world-class Christian Carl Still. Today, Valentine Vodka can be found in more than 1800 outlets throughout Michigan, Illinois and Tennessee.

Valentine Vodka is located at 161 Vester Street in Ferndale, Michigan. Online at ValentineVodka.com (facebook.com/valentinevodka | twitter.com/valentinevodka).

Reserve's Chef Matthew Millar Named Semifinalist for James Beard Foundation 2012 "Best Chef"

Reserve Wine & Food’s Executive Chef, Matthew Millar, has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2012 James Beard Foundation “Best Chef: Great Lakes Region” Award. He is one of only three Michigan chefs to make the list this year; the two other chefs are from the Metro Detroit area. This year’s list of 424 semifinalists was assembled from more than 57,000 online entries – more than double the 28,000 submissions received last year.

“Some communities that rarely are heard from made this year’s list, including Grand Rapids, Mich.,” Bret Thorn, editor of Nation’s Restaurant News, wrote on TheDailyMeal.com. “Chef Matthew Millar of Reserve restaurant in Grand Rapids is a semifinalist for best chef in the Great Lakes region”

Chef Millar has been with Reserve since its opening in September 2010. A 20-year veteran of the restaurant industry, he’s honed his skills at several West Michigan restaurants. He became enthralled with regional farmers and artisans during his years as owner and chef of the former Journeyman Café in Fennville. Cooking with locally-raised and seasonally-sourced foods remains part of Chef Millar’s philosophy.

“Every day we fill our kitchen with food that is raised and grown by our friends and neighbors. I choose to cook this way because I want to share the story of what it means to eat from this region,” says Chef Millar. “To be nominated as a Semi-Finalist for the JBF, it’s just a humbling experience. I’m on the same list as a number of chefs I’ve grown to admire – that’s just great.”

Five finalists in each category will be unveiled on March 19 at The Venetian and the Palazzo Las Vegas. The award winners for chef, restaurant and design will presented during a gala awards ceremony at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York City on May 7.

“Here at Reserve, we set out to share the things that we love so much: great food and wine,” says General Manager, Peter Marantette. “I couldn’t be happier for Matt; he’s truly deserving of such recognition. To see Chef’s name amongst some of the top chefs in the nation is encouraging – it’s affirmation that we are cooking the right way.”

The Beard Awards were established in 1990 and are the most prestigious honors given to professionals in the food and beverages industry in North America. Often called the “Oscars of Food,” the award and foundation take their name from pioneer foodie James Beard, a cookbook author and teacher, dubbed the “of American cookery” in 1954 by the New York Times, who established the James Beard Cooking School the following year in New York. He died in 1985 at age 81.

Held the first weekend in May, the Beard Awards honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and other food professionals in the United States. The awards are voted on by more than 600 culinary professionals. Recipients receive a bronze medallion etched with the image of the late James Beard and a certificate from the Foundation. The Foundation also administers the “Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America” awards. The Foundation maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village to showcase visiting chefs. For more about the James Beard Foundation: www.jamesbeard.org.

Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at 201 Monroe Avenue NW, Reserve Wine & Food offers a world-class menu fully embracing the West Michigan farm-to-table philosophy, paired with over 100 wines available by the glass and 200 wines by the bottle, in an elegant yet casual fine dining setting. In 2011, Reserve was named a winner of OpenTable’s Diner’s Choice Awards for Top Wine Lists in the United States – one of only two restaurants in Michigan to make the list.

www.ReserveGR.com