Grappolo Food and Wine School is the passion project of Scott and Paula Thomas, two industry veterans who love to share the joy of wine & food, rooted in culture and ecology, through classes, events, and study trips.
MEET THE TEAM
MEET SCOTT
Scott Thomas is a wine culturist, educator, author, and sommelier with a twenty-year career in the wine industry spanning fine dining, distribution, and education.
He is the co-founder of Grappolo Food and Wine School, a Denver-based academy offering immersive wine travel, wine events, and structured courses, including the VIA's Italian Wine Maestro certification.
His passion for Italian wines grew during his two years in Piedmont and Tuscany, where he earned a Master's in Wine Culture from Slow Food's University of Gastronomic Sciences and gained practical experience in the vineyards of Chianti Classico. Scott's professional credentials include Italian Wine Ambassador and Certified Italian Wine Educator, Certified Wine Educator, Certified Specialist of Wine, WSET III, Certified Sommelier, and official Orvieto and Langhe Wine Ambassador.
In addition, Scott is the wine director at Restaurant Olivia, a Denver Wash Park gem, with an Italian-heavy wine list and hand made pasta.
“I take wine seriously, but I strongly believe wine education should be approachable, unpretentious, and above all, experiential. I bring fun to the subject knowing that wine can be complex, but wine education doesn't need to be. I'm a staunch advocate for exploring regions and grape varieties that are rarely spoken about encouraging discovery and continued biodiversity. This is why I’m most proud to be an official Italian Wine Ambassador and one of only 12 US-based VIA educators teaching the Italian Wine Maestro curriculum.”
MEET PAULA
After more than a decade in the kitchen working as a pastry chef, I moved to explore the history of food, the people who grow and produce it, and how we steward the land, to connect it all with the food on our plate.
This journey took me to the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, where I received a Master's degree in World Food Cultures and Mobility, and also had the opportunity to work at the Slow Food International headquarters connecting with leaders across the world.
I've had the fortune to work with communities at the local and global level, promoting community-based programs that support food sovereignty and environmental justice. I have visited farms in the US, Mexico, Colombia, Greece, The Philippines, and many European countries, to understand diverse methods of food production with an emphasis on the connection between our food and the environment.
In 2022, I earned a scholarship to MAD Academy, the educational arm of Noma Restaurant (named the best restaurant in the world five years) for an intensive training in Environment & Sustainability with some of the most forward-thinking restaurateurs in the world.
All these experiences have opened the doors to the James Beard Foundation's Legacy Network 2022 cohort as an advisor to the next generation of BIPOC hospitality professionals.
I have 20 years of experience in food education, from working with community-based organizations to teaching at the School of Hospitality at Metropolitan State University of Denver. And I look forward to sharing food and culture with you.
