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Virtual Wine-and-Cheese Pairing Class Draws Rave Reviews

One hundred-thirty St. Joseph’s Academy alumnae participated in the Baton Rouge Redsticker Social Virtual Wine and Cheese Pairing Class, hosted by the SJA Mission Advancement Department on April 22. 

Class materials were available for pickup on campus in advance of the event, which was held on Zoom. Out-of-town participants purchased their wine and cheese at their local grocery stores. Special thanks to Lathan Alexander with Alexander’s Market who helped make the event possible. 

Jason Johnson, central district manager for The Duckhorn Portfolio, gave participants an overview of the label and the vineyards included in the line. Yvette Barbier Aillet, class of 2009, and Brittney LeBlanc May, class of 2004, led the informative class. Participants tasted and rated Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc, Migration Pinot Noir, Montchevre goat cheese and a Garcia Baquero Spanish cheese plate.

Mission Advancement Director Meg Gerald said participants joined from all over Louisiana as well as Washington, D.C., North Carolina and Texas. “The energy in the chat room was fun and festive,” she said. “Who knew tasting wine and cheese on a Zoom call could be so much fun? I have always thought myself a wine connoisseur and a foodie. Yvette and Brittany expanded my knowledge base and appreciation of wine and cheese.”

Aillet is a graduate of Nicholls State University with a degree in culinary arts. She earned a master’s in hospitality and tourism from the University of New Orleans, spending a summer studying wine and traveling to Napa and Sonoma. The course concluded with the certification exam, and she became a certified specialist of wine in 2014. She is now the Family and Consumer Science teacher at the Academy.

“I absolutely loved doing this class,” Aillet said. “It was so nice to tap into a part of my education that I enjoyed so much that I just don’t get to use all the time. Brittany and I immediately clicked because of our shared interests, so it was fun to have a partner for the class. I hope that the ladies who participated learned a little but mostly had great time. Learning is always more fun when it’s relaxed and with good wine. I also hope that this is just the start and we can explore some more wines soon.” 

LeBlanc is the daughter of Randal LeBlanc, former owner of the LeBlanc’s Food Stores chain. She majored in business management at LSU, then worked in the family business until it sold in 2016. While employed at LeBlanc’s, she supervised the deli bakery operations for all nine locations. She also trained to become a certified cheese specialist. Brittney is currently in marketing for Enginuity Global. 

“The thing I enjoyed the most about this event was talking about the cheese: I feel as though I could eat and chat about cheese all day every day,” she said. “Food is a true passion of mine. I hope participants took away some knowledge or a fun fact that they didn’t know prior to watching in. Maybe they even had a new cheese that they hadn’t tried before.” 

Several former and current teachers made cameo appearances, including Susan Tittlebaum, Kathy Saichuk, Holly Randow, Brad Buras and Stephen Barrios. 

Mindy Brodhead Averitt
Communications Director