Autobiography.
I have always chased wonder. When I was younger, I would lose hours inside physics textbooks that had nothing to do with school. Nights were spent outside with my dad, searching for galaxies that felt impossibly far. The stars (and my dad) taught me patience. The books taught me curiosity. Both together taught me to never stop asking questions.
That curiosity found a home at the Culinary Institute of America, where a required wine course reframed flavor as its own sort of intellectual topic: vast, layered, and full of hidden constellations. Professor Michael Weiss, called wine “living poetry,” and I never forgot it. I became a course tutor before completing my bachelor’s in Business Management there.
My professional journey began at Savona on Philadelphia’s Main Line, where I spent four years as Sommelier, hosting weekly wine tastings and monthly dinners that became stories in themselves (you can just ask anyone who has attended!). I also worked as a Whiskey Guardian for Angel’s Envy, exploring the warmth and craft of spirits! From there, I joined Steven Starr’s Barclay Prime, and then rose…literally…to the Four Seasons Philadelphia’s Jean-Georges, high above the city in the Comcast building.
When the pandemic shut down the NorthEast, I chose to start over instead of waiting around. I moved to South Carolina to manage a restaurant during the shutdowns (and grab an associate degree in psychology online!), and in that in-between time wrote my first book, Pairing Paws: Dog Breeds and Their Spirit Wines! My second, How to Build a Wine List, followed in 2023, with Pairing Paws: Cat Breeds and Their Spirit Wines set to release on September 17, 2025.
After surviving a life-altering trauma in 2019, my connection to all things natural deepened. The stars became my anchor, the quiet growing of plants my compass. My work now carries that undertone of resilience, trying to remind readers that beauty, curiosity, and care for the planet are not simply luxuries, but lifelines.
Through my blog, michelegargiulo.com, I explore the meeting place of science, sustainability, and food culture, writing about regenerative agriculture, the whispered language of plants, the future of food, and the delicate balance between human innovation and the natural world. I write in fluffy tones, as poetry always spoke to my soul.
I also am working on founding Blockchain Botany, an educational project that transforms cryptocurrency concepts into farming and plant growth mechanics, making blockchain accessible through the universal language of growth! Just want to help teach financial literacy to those struggling to understand the crypto world.
In 2023, my husband, Zakary Edington (bodybuilder and pro wrestler) and I, launched EnergyDrinkRatings.com, a crowd-sourced review platform for energy drinks inspired by Vivino’s model for wine. It’s one more chapter in my lifelong pattern of weaving together the unexpected (food, beverage, technology, and sustainability) into something new.
Today, I work at a luxury hotel in Philadelphia, still struggling to balance my life between pouring wines, writing words, and following the same compass I’ve had since childhood: one that points toward weirdness, creativity, and the wide, unending horizon.
Michele is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators, a Certified Sake Advisor through the Sake School of America, an Executive Bourbon Steward through the Stave and Thief Society, and a diploma student for WSET. She is an Entrepreneur dedicated to the growth and learning life has to offer.
In the Press.
Esquire
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TikTok trend pairs 'itos' with bubbly
The perfect late-night snack? A new TikTok trend is pairing Cheetos and Doritos with sparkling wine!
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Cheers! Mocktail recipes for Dry January
Just because it's Dry January, it doesn't mean that your gathering have to be boring! Here are some fun booze-free cocktails ideas to keep the party going.
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The 12 Best Wine Racks, According To Sommeliers
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This Saturday is National Champagne Day!
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Festive Thanksgiving cocktails to wow your guests
Wine and Beverage Director of the Fearless Restaurant Group Michele Gargiulo shared some festive Thanksgiving cocktails!
FOX Philadelphia
How to cure the post-season flu after Phillies and Union both lose championship titles
FOX 29's Jenn Frederick is curing her post-season flu with cocktails and food at White Dog Cafe in Wayne.
FOX Philadelphia
Popping bottles at White Dog Cafe in Wayne
White Dog Cafe is mixing up some delicious cocktails for a Sunday brunch!
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Get in the Halloween spirit with these spooky drinks
Best Products
50 FUN WINE GIFTS FOR OENOPHILES IN YOUR LIFE
From winning accessories to the best bottles you can buy online.
PHL 17 News
Get in the spirit with these fall drinks.
Michele Gargiulo, Director of Beverage for Fearless Restaurants, shared her favorite fall drinks!
“I start working on these menus a good month before they actually change. We’re sweating and I’m like ‘Let’s talk about fall,'” laughed Michele.
Michele showcased her pumpkin spice latte-inspired martini made with real pumpkin spice simple syrup consisting of pureed pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon.
The City Pulse
RSVP Now For Paws On the Patio!
Susan Scovill
A food and wine pairing at White Dog Cafe, Glen Mills
Positive Publicity
Paws on The Patio Book Launch
Australian Dog Lovers Book Club
With the winter school holidays upon us, it's time to stock up on a new pile of great reads for yourself and the kids.. You know, just in case that Internet connection or the power grid went down... Thankfully, books will always be there for us!
You also can't beat snuggling under a warm blanket with your dog for company so grab your favourite cuppa and enjoy this July 2022 selection of the Dog Lovers Book Club.
FOX Philadelphia
The Moshulu features chef Robert Irvine's latest spirits
Jenn Frederick heads to the Moshulu to taste new menu items and flavorful drinks.
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New book pairs wines with well known dog breeds
Philly Grub Blog
Pairing Paws, Dog Breeds and their Spirit Wines Book Launch
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National Martini Day!
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Daddy O is LBI’s Hottest Hotel and Restaurant
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Celebrating National Mimosa Day in studio
Fearless Restaurants Director of Beverage Michele Gargiulo joins us on National Mimosa Day! See how to make different varieties of mimosas!
The Classic: Orange Juice and Sparkling Wine
Strawberries and Aperol (orange) Mimosa
Lavender and Earl Grey Tea Mimosa
FOX Philadelphia
Rosalie hosting Kentucky Derby Day Party
Michele Garguilo joins FOX 29 to discuss Rosalie's Kentucky Derby watch party and showcase some of the menu items.
PHL 17 News
Cocktails for Derby Day
Philadelphia (WPHL)- Celebrate Derby Day with these delicious cocktails.
NBC Philadelphia
Put on Your Finest Hat and Enjoy This Kentucky Derby Party on the Main Line
Fox Philadelphia
Easter candy cocktails and mocktails
Michele Gargiulo, the director of beverage for Fearless Restaurants, showcases several Easter-themed cocktails and mocktails.
PHL 17 News
Easter leftover candy with cocktails
Leftover Easter candy? We hear how to pair Easter candy with cocktails. Fearless Restaurants Director of Beverage Michele Gargiulo joined us.
Here are the cocktails/mocktails she made:
Dark and Fluffy cocktail: 2 oz marshmallow vodka, 2 oz chocolate liqueur, 1 oz cream, marshmallow PEEP garnish
JellyBean Dust Bunnies: 1.5 oz jellybean infused rum, 0.5 oz aperol, 0.5 oz lemon juice, served on the rocks with crushed jellybean dust
(Mocktail) Bean There, Done That: Jellybean infused lemonade, cranberry juice splash, orange wheel garnish
Main Line Today
Head to Rosalie in Wayne this Derby Day for its live watch party, or make one of the eatery’s specialty cocktails at home with this recipe.
Fox Philadelphia
Celebrating National Whiskey Day
Whiskey expert Michele Garguilo discusses the unique taste of whiskey.
PHL 17 News
Learning About Different Whiskeys
Philadelphia (WPHL)– International Whiskey Day is on Sunday, so Michele Gargiulo, Wine Director, Fearless Restaurants, joins us.
We’re talking about whiskey and the different kinds. Gargiulo says whisky is a hugely growing market. Women are also starting to get into this “classically masculine” drink.
Gargiulo talks about the differences between all of the whiskey’s besides just location. Such as; mash bills, different grains used, the aging process, how it varies per location based on the climate.
PHL 17 News
National Drink Wine Day; Taste wine the right way
Philadelphia (WPHL)- Are you tasting wine the right way? Do you want to impress your crush on a first date? Well, today, you are in luck. Fearless Restaurants Wine Director, Michele Garguilo, joins us on National Wine Day to teach us how to taste wine the right way.
PHL 17 News
“How to properly open a champagne bottle”
Philadelphia (WPHL)- Wine Director for Fearless Restaurants, Michele Gargiulo, tells us how to open a champagne bottle properly and which champagnes will go well to make cocktails. Gargiulo teaches us the difference in champagne’s that we all should look out for that best fits our desires.
Fox Philadelphia
“Holiday cocktails made with champagne”
Jenn Fred visits White Dog Cafe in Wayne to try some holiday cocktails made with champagne.
Fox Philadelphia
“Mocktails to celebrate a Dry January”
Good Day Philadelphia showcases some mocktails for Dry January.
Philly Magazine
“The New Faces of Philly Wine”
Inside the restaurant scene’s latest youth movement.
The Item
“Servant of Wine”
New Hampton’s Front of House Manager Enlightens Sumter on Grape History
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Best Wine Regions to Visit in 2020
And the wines to buy if you can’t buy plane tickets to all of them.
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Savona on the Main Line Completes $1M Renovation
VinePair
We Asked 14 Sommeliers: What Are You Drinking on Super Bowl Sunday?