EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

RALPH ROBERTS, PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Mr. Roberts has over 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, most recently as Member of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of American Restaurant Group (“ARG”), where he had been serving as Chief Operating Officer for the previous 15 years. Before joining ARG in 1986, Mr. Roberts was Deputy Group Executive of Operations for the Grace Restaurant Group and Vice President of W.R. Grace & Co. His earlier work experience included Vice President of the Stouffer Restaurant Division and President and Co-Founder of the Rusty Scupper restaurants. As such, Mr. Roberts has managed more than 20 restaurant concept in the US, including Black Angus, Grandy’s, Prego Italian Kitchen, MacArthur Park American Grill, Tutto Mare, Guyama’s, Spoons Grill & Bar, Velvet Turtle, National Sports Bar and Grill, Del Taco, El Torito, Houlihan’s, Bristol Bar & Grill, Annie’s Santa Fe, Reuben’s, Charlie Brown’s Steak House, Coco’s Family Restaurant, Carrow’s Family Restaurant, Gladstone’s 4 Fish, Red Onion, Hungry Tiger and Rusty Scupper Restaurants. He also led the expansion of Black Angus and Coco’s into Asia. Mr. Roberts received a BA in Finance and Economics from Princeton University, served as a Captain in the United Stated Marine Corps and is a Vietnam Veteran.

SUSAN DARWIN, CHIEF BRANDING OFFICER
Ms. Darwin’s involvement in the wine industry began during her 13 year tenure at Price Waterhouse (“PW”) where she rose to a leadership position within the firm’s Wine Industry Services Group. There, she provided financial advisory and transaction support services to clients such as Robert Mondavi, Clos du Val and Sonoma Vineyards, and also served as Treasurer of the Associate Members of the California Wine institute. She was also active in PW’s High Technology practice and, after leaving the firm and managing her own consulting practice for 3 years, became Western Region General Manager and Vice President of Customer Care for a venture-backed enterprise software company. In 2003, Ms. Darwin returned to the wine industry with the launch of an independent sales and marketing consultancy for boutique wineries. Ms. Darwin graduated magna cum laude from the College of the Holy Cross with a BA in Economics/Accounting and received an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

LOUIS LAU, RESTAURANT MANAGER
(DETAILS COMING SOON!)

STAR MA, HEAD CHEF
(DETAILS COMING SOON!)

KENJI YUEN, EXECUTIVE CHEF
Mr. Yuen is responsible for CV’s culinary program and has over 15 years of relevant experience in Hong Kong. Most recently, as Head Chef for Sir Hudson Ltd., he developed and directed the food program for their 6-unit Cafe Habitú coffee bar concept. Prior to that, he was Executive Chef for Caviar Kaspia, a high-end catering concept from the Bluebell Group. Mr. Yuen began that role with a 1-month training period in the company’s flagship Paris venue where he learned the nuances of caviar culinary techniques. He returned to set up and manage the HK operation, and then supervised a team of 20 production and warehousing employees. Over his career, he has worked with a variety of ethnic cuisines in both fine dining and fast food environments and demonstrated an ability to execute with excellence, consistent with the mission of the enterprise. In preparation for his current role at CV, Mr. Yuen recently spent time working with CV’s consulting chef in the Napa Valley, immersing himself in the cuisine and culinary techniques of the California wine country.

RICHARD HAAKE, CONSULTING CHEF
Currently the Owner of Winery Chefs, Mr. Haake was engaged by CV to set the direction for its food program and develop the opening menu In his current capacity as Owner/Chief Strategist at Winery Chefs, he oversees special event program management for several wineries, constantly striving to strike the ideal food and wine pairings. Mr. Haake was trained at the New England Culinary Institute and honed his practical skills as a chef at the restaurants Pinot Blanc and Terra in Napa Valley, both of which received high critical acclaim during his tenures. In 2001, he became Resident Chef at Cakebread Cellars which had long been known for its leadership in high-quality food and wine programs. During his 5 years there, he was also responsible for expanding their culinary programs in Asia. In 2006, Richard accepted the opportunity to become Executive Chef at the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery where he not only oversaw their industry-leading culinary tradition, but also traveled globally to promote their food-and-wine-pairing tradition.