what they're saying about randy caparoso...

Bruce Neyers (Proprietor, Neyers Vineyards):
Those who meet Randy Caparoso quickly grow to admire his candid and intellectual approach to the wine business. As a former partner of the Roy’s restaurant group in Hawai’i, he’s thought to be almost solely responsible for bringing a brilliant, fine wine program to the Islands, and playing an important role in the movement of fusion cuisine that has spread throughout the world. He went on to help establish Roy’s as a prominent national restaurant chain before embarking on a career as a writer and consultant on the move, and can take credit for a number of creative wine programs around the country.

Ronn Wiegand, MW, MS (Publisher, Restaurant Wine):
Randy Caparoso was one of the country's most innovative and articulate wine directors. He consistently pushed the envelope at Roy's and established new standards for wine program excellence in a multi-unit company. Equally important, he always accomplished this with a firm eye on the bottom line and a desire to increase his customers' satisfaction in the dining experience.

Doug Frost, MW, MS (President/Industry Consultant, Strong Water):
Randy is the consummate wine professional - brilliant, passionate, totally dedicated and a great contributor to our industry.

Larry Stone, MS (Owner/Grower, Lingua Franca):
In my estimation Randy Caparoso is one of the most dedicated and imaginative professionals working in the world today. His achievements at Roy's were synonymous with the rise of chef Roy Yamaguchi himself

Evan Goldstein, MS (President, Full Circle Wine Solutions):
Randy has had one of the most creative on-premise styles that I have worked with over the years. His palate is solid and he always seems to have his finger on the pulse of what's happening and what makes his customers happy.

Rob Constantino (Managing Editor, Santé):
Randy Caparoso is the wine professional's professional. He was our first Santé Wine & Spirits Professional of the Year because his exciting, innovative, ever-changing wine program was an industry model that influenced top sommeliers and restaurateurs around the world. By combining his thorough understanding of food-and-wine with an unflagging enthusiasm for searching out the new, he has enhanced the dining experience of thousands.

Catherine Fallis, MS (Founder/President, Planet Grape; Educator, Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley):
In the nearly twenty years that I've known him, Randy has challenged me, as he has challenged many others, to work harder, to raise the bar, and to set rather than follow the trends. Randy Caparoso is like genius in motion.

Rebecca Chapa, DWS, CWE (Educator, Tannin Management; Wine by the Class, Society of Wine Educators):
Randy Caparoso is probably the most innovative wine buyer I know. His knack for wine and food pairing is unprecedented, and he has the ability to manage a large wine program without being overly rigid. He is also as dedicated and loyal as anyone I know; and above all, he truly relishes the business of wine.

Wilfred Wong (Chief Storyteller, wine.com):
Randy is one of the top guys in the wine industry with a background that encompasses the globe. His understanding of the synergy of food and wine is unsurpassed, and on top of that he has a great eye for quality.

Jim Kopp (Director of National Accounts, The Thornhill Companies):
Randy is one of the few individuals I know in the industry who has had the courage to stick to his convictions and step outside the box in the promotion of wine and food. A creative soul whose mission has been not to impress but to deliver, Randy has always used his skills to build wine programs that add value to the restaurant concept through an ability to complement menus, spark a consumer's interest in something new, and deliver quality at a value.

Chuck Furuya, MS (Partner, Sansei Restaurant Group, Hawai'i):
Randy Caparoso is one of the industry's most talented professionals. He has an innate ability to pair wines with dynamic, eclectic, contemporary style foods, which he does with incredible imagination, and an acute sense of tastes and textures.

Kermit Lynch (Wine Merchant, Author of Adventures on the Wine Route):

Almost thirty years ago it was notoriously difficult to find anything decent to eat in Hawai'i. I was there on vacation and had reached the desperation stage. In a little wine shop near my hotel in Honolulu, I asked if there wasn’t at least one restaurant serving edible food.

“Why don’t you try Roy’s?” came the answer, so I got the family in a taxi and off we went.

At the table, I opened the wine list first, as usual. My wife told me I looked like a cartoon character, with my eyes bulging out of their sockets. There, on the wine list, in Hawai'i, obtainable, was the Savennières from Château d’Epiré, one of my favorite dry whites, but unknown, esoteric, hard to sell. What the hell was it doing in Hawai'i?

I roamed down the list and saw all sorts of unusual selections from France. But not just any wines; these were the dangerous ones. I asked the waiter if the wine buyer was on the premises, and that’s how I met Randy Caparoso. We became friends and he spread the word about a lot of my rather obscure wine imports. He loves making discoveries as much as I do, so we hit it off.

What is a good palate? In my experience, every palate is different. The person who can identify ten Bordeaux châteaux in a blind tasting may not be able to tell which are good and which are banal. I have never met the perfect palate, one that comprises all the tasting skills and talents.

What sets Randy apart? First, his open-mindedness. He appreciates diversity; in fact he adores diversity, and can appreciate all styles from all the world’s wine regions. That is a great virtue, because it means that his palate is not deformed by preconceptions.

Secondly, he is a master at wine and food combinations. At Roy’s he has regaled me with combinations that had me stunned by their perfection and unpredictability. This talent comes from an incredible imagination, which allows him to foresee how a certain wine might act alongside a certain plate; and his powers of analysis, breaking down wines and dishes into their important components so that his imagination has something to work with.

Email: randycaparoso@earthlink.net

Phone: (209) 642-6882

Home Page: Culinary Wine & Food Adventures