Experience exciting and educational events at The Lodge at Woodloch, featuring inspirational and motivational guest speakers, available to elevate your consciousness and personal awareness. Diverse opportunities are offered to discover a greater understanding of life, love, self, spirituality, health, music, healing, the environment, and our world.
From Saturday, November 1, 2025 to Sunday, November 30, 2025 November 1, 2025 November 30, 2025 The Lodge at Woodloch
Join us for a full month of culinary adventure that will excite your senses. All November long we will celebrate local food and wine makers, master distillers, and world-renowned food & beverage authors. We will showcase cuisines and culinary talent through wine tasting presentations, Chef-led Dinners, cocktail making classes, and drink specials, alongside activities like cooking demonstrations and live entertainment.
November 6th
Erika Jurden, Wine Educator
November 8th
Women & Wine
November 10th - 15th
Chocolate Week
November 21st - 22nd
Johnny Livanos & Adriana Soley Livanos, Founders of Stray Dog Wild Gin
November 28th - 29th
Brian Freedman, Wine, Spirits, Food, & Travel Writer
Erika Jurden, Wine Educator
November 6th
Erika Jurden is a New Jersey native wielding a passion for the wine industry. Her interest stemmed from her parents' love for food, wine, and storytelling. As the story goes; her zest for the wine industry began during childhood, with the bedtime stories her father created based on the book “Mr. Boston's Guide to Bartending.” Upon graduating from St. Joseph's University, Erika began her career in the restaurant industry and in promotional modeling. Utilizing the experience gained in these outlets, she joined the sales force at Capital Wine and Spirits. Furthering her education, Erika became a Certified Specialist of Wine from the Society of Wine Educators in 2009. Her passion for selling wine and telling stories, lead her to represent a plethora of wines from many iconic vineyards. She now enjoys sharing the stories about the Riboli Family Wines and their over 105 year-old winery. Her accomplishments gained her recognition, and in 2015 she was among the first Pennsylvanian area women in wine to be asked to join the prestigious Les Dames d'Escoffier - a group for the influential women leaders in food, fine beverage, and hospitality industries. When asked what her favorite bottle of wine is, she will tell you it is the one she gets to share.
Johnny Livanos, Founder of Stray Dog Wild Gin
November 21st - 22nd
Johnny Livanos, Founder of Stray Dog Wild Gin, is a trailblazer in the world of Greek wine and spirits. Raised in the heart of a bustling New York restaurant Greek-American family, Johnny goes beyond the restaurant scene to craft spirits that tell a unique story. Having worked in his family’s iconic spots like Molyvos and Oceana in NYC, as well as Jose Andres’ Zaytinya in Washington, DC, Johnny’s experience helped shape his passion and expertise in beverage with a focus in Greece. Johnny graduated from Cornell University’s Hospitality School, where he returns to as a guest speaker to teach about hospitality, Greek wine and spirits, and entrepreneurship. Also an alumnus of the Culinary Institute of America, he has always combined a passion for food and flavor and today applies that to the beverage world. Johnny is a two-time guest speaker at Bar Convent Brooklyn where he has lectured tasting seminars on the world of Greek spirits. His brainchild, Stray Dog Wild Gin, is the culmination of years of pursuing exciting endeavors in the beverage world. In addition to launching Stray Dog Wild Gin, Johnny is also a sales manager with Diamond Wine Importers.
Adriana Soley Livanos, Co-Founder of Stray Dog Wild Gin
November 21st - 22nd
Adriana Soley Livanos, co-founder of Stray Dog Wild Gin, is a maverick in the spirits industry. She spent her early years in restaurants and grew up to become one the most well-known bartenders, winning international cocktail competitions. Adriana moved to NYC in 2013 where she pursued her passion for developing brands and worked with some of the most respected companies in the industry. She was twice awarded a visa called “Aliens with extraordinary abilities” by the United States of America. Adriana is passionate about mentoring and developing other women in the spirits industry and recently became a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow. The culmination of her life and experience in the hospitality and spirits industry is the launching of her own brand Stray Dog Wild Gin, made in Greece with wild foraged botanicals and donating back to animal shelters.
Brian Freedman, Wine, Spirits, Food, & Travel Writer
November 28th - 29th
Brian Freedman is a wine, spirits, food, and travel writer, restaurant and beverage consultant, drinks educator, and event host and speaker. He writes the Wines of the Week column for forbes.com, as well as other wine- and spirits-focused articles and commentaries; contributes to Food & Wine digital; and is a contributing writer for John Mariani's Virtual Gourmet, among others. He has contributed to JancisRobinson.com and Whisky Advocate print and digital, created wine lists and beverage programs for some of the Philadelphia region’s top restaurants and for three dinners at New York’s James Beard House, hosts beverage-focused events around the United States for corporate and private clients, and has traveled to nearly 50 countries to explore their culture and cuisine for his work. He was recognized three times by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s Keystone Awards for his ongoing food and drink coverage for Philadelphia Weekly, for which he was restaurant critic and beverage columnist for over five years, and was awarded a fellowship to the prestigious Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in Napa, California in 2019.
