About

Bernard Stramwasser is a Canadian-born entrepreneur who has lived in Canada, France and the United States. He speaks a number of languages including English, French, Dutch, Spanish, with a working knowledge of Portuguese, Italian and German. His first wine experience was when he was 10 years old and living in France, where he explored the caves of Champagne Piper-Heidsieck in a golf cart tour. This exposed him to the world of wine, and piqued his curiosity. After taking part in several wine trips with his family, Bernard began to discover and admire the magic and passion that winery owners shared. It was a family trip through the Alsace in 1999 however, where Bernard has his moment of revelation - his epiphany. It became apparent that the world of wine was one filled with passion and joie de vivre, and one in which he wanted to be a part. And so, in January 2000, Bernard registered the domain lesommelier.com and his Ontario-based wine import agency, Le Sommelier Inc., of which is still currently President. Bernard earned his Sommelier certification in 2006 with the International Sommelier Guild, and joined the Board of Directors of Grapes for Humanity in 2015.

Geddy Lee is a wine-loving philanthropist, collector and working musician, who has been an active board member of Grapes for Humanity since 2001. As the lead singer and bass player in world-renowned rock-trio RUSH, Lee has been made an Officer of the Order of Canada, received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, marking a successful music career spanning over 40 years. Introduced to wine in the late 70s while on tour, Lee and his band mate Alex Lifeson began to cultivate their passion for wine that has continued to this day. Lee & Lifeson collaborated on various wine-related fundraising events, highlighted by their Grapes Under Pressure events that have raised over $350,000. Due to his extensive contributions, The Geddy Lee Scholarship was started in 2011 that is awarded annually to a second-year student in Niagara College’s Wine & Viticulture Technician program.

Garrett Herman joined LOM Limited in 1990, following an extensive career with Merrill Lynch Canada. While at Merrill, he held a number of progressive positions including Manager of Institutional Equity and Research, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Head of Private Client Division, as well as Member of the Board of Directors. He served as a Senior Vice President and Director for the Equity Division at Merrill, responsible for all Institutional Sales and Trading, Research, Syndication and Capital Commitment. Garrett was a member of the Consular Corps of Ontario. He is also a past President of the Canada Sri Lanka Business Council and is a past Honorary Consul for the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Garrett was Chairman of the Annual LOM Gala and Auction to benefit the” Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada”, an event started in 1994 (15 years). He was a Director-at-Large of the” Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada” and a Director of the “MS Scientific Research Foundation”. Garrett also holds positions as Chairman of the "Galapagos Conservancy Canada" formerly called “Charles Darwin Foundation of Canada” and a Director of “Grapes for Humanity”, as well as “Grapes for Humanity Global Foundation”. He holds memberships at The Grolier Club - New York, The Association Internationale de Bibliophilies - Paris, The Mount Royal Club - Montreal and The National Club - Toronto. Garrett has a B.A. from Concordia University , is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute ( F.C.S.I.) and has a honourary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) from the University of Edinburgh.

Cathy Martin has been a dedicated volunteer and ambassador of Grapes for Humanity Canada since 2011 and was named to the Board of Directors in December 2016. Cathy co-founded and actively manages the annual "Uncorked" series of fundraising events which have raised more than $250,000 for the charity to date. Cathy has travelled as an ambassador of the Grapes for Humanity organization to Cambodia and Guatemala, to visit the projects funded by the Uncorked events and other charitable initiatives that Grapes for Humanity has made possible. In 1995, Cathy received a BA in Psychology from York University and a Diploma in Rehabilitation Services from Seneca College. She has worked as a consultant providing services to plaintiff injury law firms, branching out on her own as C.Martin Consulting in 1997. Previously, Cathy was a volunteer fundraiser with the Canadian Cancer Society in Toronto where she gained a passion for charitable fundraising. Her love of wine and travel was ignited in 2001 when she resided in Provence, France with her now husband. Her experience in France is what led to the conception of The Aspler Wine Tour, a yearly European wine tour, which she has co-founded and co-hosted with her husband, Stephen Pauwels, more than 10 years ago.

Liz Gallery has been an ambassador for Grapes for Humanity for over 5 years and is now on the board. Liz is the co-founder of Uncorked-a series of events that raises money for GFH. Liz graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She then moved to New York City to attend the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising and began a career in Fashion-with jobs at companies such as Donna Karan, DKNY, Alfred Sung, and Calvin Klein. After moving back to Toronto and having three sons with husband Matt Tedford, she became involved with several local fundraisers such as Project Sunshine, Hope Ball, Butterfly Ball and the AGO. Her involvement with Grapes has allowed her to travel around the world and engage with disadvantaged children in third world countries. “Going to see the children in Guatemala has made me realize the potential they have now- they can now go to school where they get an education, it’s amazing to see and know we helped build a school!" The money raised from the Uncorked events has gone to assist “Access Education Guatemala Children’s Fund” to build three schools in rural Guatemala, including the most recent High School which will officially open in January 2017. We have also supported “Place of Rescue Foundation” and assisted them to fund their orphanage and aids hospice in Cambodia as well as fund the first 10 children from the orphanage to attend University and build a dormitory for them to reside in. In 2015, we assisted in the construction of two medical facilities in Tacloban, Philippines that had been previously destroyed by a typhoon. I look forward to growing the Grapes for Humanity charity and collaborating with many more organizations around the world.

Sherri is a passionate supporter of the wine industry, choosing to live in the Niagara region where she manages her own consulting business. She has more than 35 years of experience as a journalist as well as working in the public relations and marketing industry. Throughout her career, she has sought innovative and strategic partnerships to build successful marketing campaigns and compelling narratives. She has won numerous awards throughout her career but counts the lasting friendship from colleagues she met along the way as her proudest achievement. She began her career as a journalist and then moved into public relations working for a variety of organizations including the Wine Council of Ontario and the LCBO. She started her own business in 2016 and enjoys the opportunities that this entrepreneurship has provided. She is an avid traveller and has spent more than a decade writing travel columns for various mainstream media.

Scott Webster is an avid collector and lover of wines for the past 2 decades plus, an endeavour that arose from the need to impress business contacts at dinners that evolved over time and turned into a passion if not an obsession. Scott has spent the vast majority of his adult life working in sales, beginning at the transaction sales level in real estate before taking on the role of Director of Member Services for Canada for an internation franchise real estate firm. Since 2010 Scott has been a managing Broker in Yorkville with one of Torontos most successful real estate brokerages. Scott always had a propensity for charitable involvement as this was a core value instilled by his mother during his childhood. During his time in the franchise real estate world he was instrumental in creating a national charitable program with Habitat for Humanity Canada called Homes for Humanity. Scott was born and raised in GTA and continues to live in the City of Toronto while spending as much time as possible in one of his favorite places in the world being the wine country of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Scott and his wife Joy are foodies and love to travel, typically organizing travel around their love of wine, and they have built a strong network of friends and contacts throughout the wine world, both at home and abroad. Scott has recently completed his WSET Level 4 Diploma program and holds a variety of other wine credentials such as French and Spanish wine Scholar awards. Scott started volunteering with Grapes for Humanity in 2021 and honoured to became a member of the board of directors in 2024.

Steven owned La Maison (1978-1985) before opening one of the first wine bars in Ontario Delisle Wine Bar in 1985. In 1988, Steven won his first Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for having one of the greatest wine lists in the world; one of only four Canadian restaurants to be so honoured that year. In 1990, he became a certified Sommelier. Steven purchased Lifford Wine agency in 1994 and by 2000 Lifford became the largest supplier of premium wines to the hospitality sector in Ontario a position Lifford still holds today. Concerned about the climate crisis, Steven partnered with Tree Canada to make Lifford a carbon neutral company the only carbon neutral wine agency in Canada. In 2018, Steven created the world’s first carbon neutral wine brand Campbell Kind Wines making wines in six countries. A year later, Steven was awarded an Honourary Doctor of Laws from York University for my community leadership and environmental stewardship. In January 2020, Steven sold the Lifford Wine Agency. Later that year, Steven partnered with Grapes for Humanity to organize a charitable wine auction to provide assistance to hospitality community where $540,000 was raised. Steven officially joined the board of Grapes for Humanity in 2021.

Arlene co–founded Grapes for Humanity (GFH) Canada, along with Tony Aspler, in 2001, in honour of her brother, Louis Cofrancesco, who was killed by a landmine in Vietnam in 1968. Today she is Chairman Emeritus of GFH Canada and Chairman and Founder of GFH Global Foundation in the US. She also currently sits on the Board of Directors for Equipment Sales and Service Ltd. (ESS), a family-owned company that has been keeping Canada’s heavy equipment up and running for over 70 years; and The Sharon Francis Institute for Regenerative Medicine (SFIRM). She is member of La Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, the international burgundy wine group. Arlene was Chairman of The Toronto Foundation for Student Success, a division of the Toronto School Board. She has sat on the Board for The Canadian Stage Company, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), and The Bishop Strachan School. Arlene has worked for various organizations and corporations in the United States. In 1968, she travelled throughout the US working on the 1968 Presidential Campaign for Richard Nixon, with advance men, Bob Erlichman and Bob Haldeman; and organized and helped produce the half-time shows for the New Orleans Saints football team, under the direction of Tommy Walker Productions. She has travelled extensively to developing countries to visit the projects that Grapes for Humanity supports for the past 20 years including Cambodia (17 times), Laos, Vietnam, China, Africa, France, Nicaragua and Honduras. Arlene was born and educated in the United States. She moved to Toronto in 1977 after marrying Canadian Businessman, Michael Willis and they have two daughters and three grandchildren. Arlene and Michael are very involved with the international wine community and are passionate about their love of wine and many philanthropic causes.