The two personalities behind The Bacchus Babes are Ashlee and Elise. Just like any dynamic duo, these young ladies compliment each other’s styles of communication and general “awesomeness”. During a wine conference presentation, they unofficially adopted a Good Cop/Bad Cop approach to education.
Ashlee, a.k.a. Bad Cop, has lived her whole life in Ohio; however, she didn’t grow up on a farm (just lived in a town with only two street lights and graduated from a high school with only 41 other classmates). Her love for the wine experience didn’t materialize until her senior year in college when she participated in an individual investigation on wine tourism which led to an internship with Ohio’s Wine Country Resort, which then led to a position in the Ohio wine industry. Though she completely and utterly enjoys wine and the tasting experience, she finds herself most interested in the mystique of wine that attracts and motivates so many to enjoy the fruit of the vine. She assumes the role of Bad Cop because Elise is never quite sure what is going to come out of her mouth. She is also a bit of a firecracker (total redhead).
Elise, a.k.a. Good Cop, was born and raised in northeastern Ohio where she developed a love of all things wine at an early age. Whether she was running around local vineyards or experimenting with food and wine pairing with her parents at home, Elise has always thought of wine as more than just a consumer product. It’s food! Though her professional education lead her in an international direction, she realized the importance of returning to her hometown and “giving back” to her local community. While abroad she did her best to explore local cuisines and wines to broaden her understanding about how wine is integrated into cultures. She is hoping to apply some of that experience and perspective for the benefit of the American wine industry and consumer. Being a part of the Ohio wine community has shown her that wine is not just a hobby, but can also be a profession. She easily assumed the role of Good Cop after previously perfecting the art of “smoothing things over”. Besides, Ashlee has a seriously better poker face.
