Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/455266
14 / the tasting panel / january/february 2015 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT PHOTO: LANA BORTOLOT Diane Teitelbaum, Dallas's Wine and Food Advocate, Dies D iane Teitelbaum, a long-time wine educator, writer, consultant and inter- national judge, passed away on December 7, in Dallas, Texas, after a short illness. She was 68 years old. A charter member of the Dallas chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, Teitelbaum was a tour de force in the Texas food and wine scene, bringing credibility to the local food scene by her advocacy via "Les Dames," and her early innovation in pairing regional cuisines with world-class wines. She was an untiring supporter of young talent, mentoring countless aspiring wine writers, sommeliers and chefs. Known for her superb and refined palate, Teitelbaum was an international judge, contributed to The Oxford Companion to Wine, the Dallas Morning News and Dallas Times Herald, Wine Spectator (along with then Dallas Times Herald food critic Michael Bauer). She was the award-winning wine consultant for American Airlines before focusing her career on appraisals and private consulting. Teitelbaum particularly championed women in the food and wine business. In an interview with THE TASTING PANEL in 2010, she remarked, "I didn't think about it and I didn't know it wasn't supposed to be easy for women. I just went out and did what I did and didn't think a thing about it," she said, adding, "There was no reason why women can't do as well as men, and men do as well as women." IN MEMORIAM Scotch Whisky's Greatest Advocate W ith 18 years of whisky industry experience, Rick Edwards, Master of Scotch for Pernod Ricard USA, has been named Scotch Ambassador of the Year 2015 by the Icons of Whisky America. He has worked for several prestigious Scottish distilleries in positions ranging from Brand Ambassador to National Mentor, and, in 2001, he was invited to the Royal Lochnagar Academy of Malt Advocates, where he earned the title of Master of Scotch. Rick has also completed the Chivas Brothers Masters Course as an ambassador for The Glenlivet and is a member of the Whisky Technology & Production Academy. A Big "Cheers!" I n early November, adorned in neon, Alfonso Ribeiro—bet- ter known as Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or from ABC's Dancing with the Stars—joined Southern Comfort to host the unofficial World's Largest Group Toast. At L.A.'s Dodger Stadium after the Electric Run, the mas- sive toast kicked off the after-party for more than 10,000 runners. Bars in cities across the country also joined in simultaneously with a toast of Southern Comfort Lime.