Our Team

A chef by trade, Anthony Nicalo has spent his lifetime marrying local flavor with earth-friendly fare. After a career supporting culinary masters including Peter Merriman and Guido Havercock, Nicalo has found his calling. Bringing the Old World to the New — Chef Nicalo carefully selects the great tasting, earth-friendly, hand-made wines from small family vineyards of Europe to include in the Farmstead Wines selection.

“It is the beauty of people who are in tune with the land, with the Earth, that inspire Farmstead Wines. They are family farmers who make wine the only way they know how- in unison with nature, handcrafted and delicious. These are wines they serve to their families and friends.”

Sam Kass

Chef Sam Kass received his his formal training at a Michelin starred restaurant in Europe but he found his passion for cooking while exploring the world. Using food as his guide, Sam came into contact with ordinary people in extraordinary places, from Mexico to Brazil, Italy to Thailand. He observed physical and spiritual health optimized when people maintained a close connection to the cultivation and preparation of their sustenance. He witnessed how societies fragment when this relationship to their nourishment is lost, and experienced the power food holds to rebuild communities. As the founder of Inevitable Table, Sam links people to clean, healthy food. From private chef services to personal grocery shopping, Chef Kass works to improve your your health, bring pleasure to your table and connect you to your food community.
Sam’s love of farming and wine blossomed while working a vintage with Renato Fenocchio in Italy. Since then, he has returned several times to learn all the practices of a great vinaroon.

Jeff Bashford

“For me, Farmstead Wines is an opportunity to introduce people to wines with individual character and true terroir. It’s a bonus that I’m supporting small farmers with sustainable practices.”

Jeff’s first taste of the wine industry was at a Wine Merchant in Sydney, Australia. It was during their training programs that Jeff was introduced to fine wine. Over the next few years Jeff’s genuine interest in wine was encouraged and his knowledge continued to grow. The retail environment provided unlimited opportunity to taste and over time his palate began to develop as well. After completing his studies in business, Jeff engrossed himself in Sydney’s wine scene, spending the next 4 years at the Wine Merchants.

Before moving to Canada, Jeff spent a year in Europe. His travels introduced him to the classic European wine regions, hundreds of new grape varieties and many new wine styles that he had not seen in Australia. Despite extensive knowledge of Australian wine, Jeff realized that he had only just begun to understand the world of wine. During that trip he experienced first hand a different attitude toward food, wine, family and community. The table was central to a simpler way of life. Jeff, eager to learn more about the wine regions of Europe progressed through the WSET range of courses, completing his sommelier training and in doing so began to further appreciate the European lifestyle.

Over the next two years Jeff continued working for wine retailers in Ottawa and Vancouver but began to look for a new challenge. Some opportunities in sales and marketing were presented however Jeff had little interest in promoting the large brands that tend to display a one-dimensional, international style of wine making. He knew that the wines he liked to drink, the wines that he found intriguing all had a story and spoke of a place and a time. Jeff already knew that the Farmstead Wines portfolio was outstanding but with Farmstead Wines came the opportunity to get to know the farmers and the opportunity to learn from passionate people, who are intimately connected to the land.

Away from wine Jeff is actively involved with Vancouver’s Meraloma Cricket Club in the Summer and a keen snowboarder in the Winter. If its raining he will either be fanatically watching some kind of sport or learning to cook through a trial and error approach.