About Me

Hi!  

My name is Barbara and I am 58 years old and single.  I live in Des Moines, Iowa, and I am currently working in the hospitality software field, where we install our software in hotels, casinos and resorts.  I’ve been with my company for 22 years now, and I find it very rewarding (most of the time).  There will always be those times when you wonder why you are still doing this.  I suppose you could say that it was one of those times that inspired me to do something different (this website).

Before this job, I worked in Yellowstone National Park for 15 years in food and beverage operations.  I started out waiting tables, then I managed restaurants, then I jumped into the back of the house and started cooking and baking.  I was a trainer for back-of-the-house operations (read: kitchen) for a few years and then dove headfirst into managing the bars and pubs in the park.  I bought wine for the park for three years until, in 2001, I packed up my house in Gardiner, MT, loaded it into a moving truck, hitched my car to the back of it and drove across the country to Virginia to be closer to my family.  Buying wine and setting beverage menus for the restaurants and bars in Yellowstone was an awesome job, and it is then and there that I found my love for wine.

I am thrilled to be able to share with you my stories, insights, recommendations and sometimes just plain ramblings in Wine and Whisk Chronicles each week.  I am excited to learn more about all of you, too!  Thank you for coming along with me on this journey!