Rita Palandrani
Rita Palandrani became a certified Water Sommelier in 2007, and is a member of the Italian Water Sommelier Association (ADAM) and the Italian Sensory Science Society (SISS). Currently based in London, she works as a water promoter with educational purposes in collaboration with several institutions, i.e. Liquidscapes, art.earth and CCANW.
Horacio Bustos
Horatio currently works as Director of the Gyokuro Argentinian Circle of Tea, declared of cultural interest by the Ministry of Culture of the Argentine Nation. In 2012, he was named a HONORARY MEMBER of the Circle of Water Tasters endorsed by the European Water Tasters and in 2017 he was appointed member of the Italian Association of Hydro Sommelier. He promotes and offers workshops as a Water Sommelier.
Michael Mascha
Michael's global audience consists of F&B professionals, consumers, distributors, media as well as premium brands. Michael is also the author of the acclaimed book Fine Waters - A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Most Distinctive Bottled Waters called 'an encyclopedia of water, a bible of water' by the London Times.
Martin Riese
Since his return to the U.S., Riese has appeared on numerous national media outlets including Good Morning America, CNN, The New York Times, Bon Appétite, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Buzzfeed and Conan O’Brien.
Chef Juan Carlos Ordoñez
Born and Raised in Guayaquil – Ecuador, Chef Ordoñez is the talented executive chef at Casa Julian the famed restaurant housed in Hotel Del Parque, a five-star luxury boutique hotel in Samborondon, a suburb of Guayaquil.
Juan Carlos studied Gastronomy and Hotel Management in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the International Buenos Aires Hotel and Restaurant School. Once Juan Carlos returned to Ecuador, he founded “Sybaris Catering”, one of the most important catering companies in the market. He also started teaching and became the Gastronomy Director of the Superior Institute of Culinary Art. In 2013 Juan Carlos joined the Oro Verde Hotels team, the biggest and most important hotel chain in Ecuador, where he became the Banquet Chef.