In conversation... Emily Fedner X Cameron Porter
4 min read
with
Emily Fedner Cook, Host & Author
Cameron Porter (Amplify Wines) Grower & Maker
Description
Sit down with Emily Fedner, cook, host and author (otherwise known as @foodloversdiary), and Cameron Porter of Amplify Wines. Cameron’s passion for wine began when he was 18, seeing the positive cultural impact wine was having on his hometown of Santa Maria Valley. Now, he runs his own winery in the valley with wife Marlen. We can’t wait to hear Emily and Cameron share their insights.
Emily Fedner
Cook, Host & Author
Emily Fedner is a former line cook, on-camera host, recipe developer and content creator based in Brooklyn. She’s also the gal behind @foodloversdiary, an Instagram account dedicated to carb-centric recipes and sharing hidden gems in NYC + abroad.
Emily has worked in the restaurant industry since she was 15 years old, cultivating a meticulous knowledge of food and a deep appreciation for wine and spirits. After a successful career as a publicist where she worked with high profile clients such as Michael Symon, April Bloomfield and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Emily decided to hop the fence and get her hands dirty as a line cook at a busy Italian restaurant in Manhattan. Today she is the co-founder of Petite Pasta Joint, a 20-seat pasta pop-up + private events company operating out of the historic Raffetto’s Fresh Pasta space, and author of two digital cookbooks dedicated to her favorite foods: Pasta Lover’s Diary and Dumpling Lover’s Diary.
But perhaps more important than what she’s done is who she is: Emily is the first-generation American daughter of Soviet refugees. Her experience as the child of immigrants and has colored every part of who she is and has informed the overarching mission of her career: to highlight diverse and marginalized voices through the lens of food.
Cameron Porter (Amplify Wines)
Grower & Maker
Cameron Porter's passion for wine began when he was 18, seeing the positive cultural impact wine was having on his hometown of Santa Maria Valley. "It was amazing to see the artistic spirit it brought out in our community. It completely changed the dynamic of how people thought about Santa Maria and made me realize that there was something very special in my own backyard."
While working in the music business in LA in 2006, Cameron felt compelled to explore his passion for wine further, taking a job working nights at Vendome Wine & Spirits. "The owner, Joe, had such an incredible knowledge about the Old World, Burgundy in particular, and really helped shape my palate and made me understand aesthetically what makes a great wine." Wanting to pursue his love of wine in a more hands-on fashion, Cameron left the music business to follow his dream of working full time in the wine business.
Returning to the Santa Maria Valley in 2008, Cameron explored both DTC sales and winemaking, working simultaneously as a cellar rat for Tantara Winery, and a member of the opening tasting room team at Dierberg/Star Lane. These two passions dovetailed in 2010 as he transitioned into the cellar for Dierberg, working on both the winemaking and DTC teams there.
In 2012, Cameron moved into the restaurant world- pursuing his desire to work with wines from around the world- at the Los Olivos Cafe, where he worked as Wine Merchant and sommelier. In his time at the Los Olivos Cafe, Cameron pursued sommelier certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers, eventually achieving the title of Advanced Sommelier.
Seeking a return to the winery direct-to-consumer realm, Cameron joined the team at Presqu'ile Winery in 2015, where he held the role of Estates Manager and Director of DTC through February of 2020. "In my time at Presqu'ile, I had the pleasure of working with a team seeking to move our area's wine culture forward, and never stop challenging themselves.”
In 2013, Cameron and his wife Marlen established their own winery, Amplify, which has grown from 90 cases annually to almost 3,000 in the time since. Cameron was able to leave his day job and work full time focusing on Amplify beginning in 2020. They just completed their 9th harvest for Amplify, and Cameron’s 14th harvest overall, with the 2021 vintage. The couple produce their wine at their own small facility in the Santa Maria Valley, where they also consult for and host other small natural producers.
In 2020 Cameron also cofounded the nonprofit Natural Action, helping to create the first ever natural wine club devoted exclusively to creating opportunities for the BIPOC community in the wine industry. He is passionate about diversifying the current wine landscape, and providing opportunities for new voices to emerge in the wine industry.
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