Meet Reggie Daigneault

We were lucky to catch up with Reggie Daigneault recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Reggie with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

The questions were all excellent and it was difficult to choose. I chose this question because I have incredible work ethics and resilience, I believe that they are paired together in me.
I lived and worked in my parents Italian bread and roll bakery in South Philadelphia, our family lived above the bakery in a 3 bedroom apartment. I have 5 siblings and we all worked every day before and after school. We worked a lot, we all did, but especially the first 4 of us. Fitting homework in was difficult, actually fitting anything but bakery work was difficult as a child. But it build resilience and strong ethics in me. Those ethics spoke to me daily and taught me to push through each day no matter what stood in the way; sickness, stress at school, friends, helping my mother with cleaning, cooking, and caring for siblings.
I was resentful of girls who had time to play, rest, date, and primp, but I realized along the way as I went out on my own that this fire that lived in me was permanent and steady. I learned to go at a rapid pace and do it well if I wanted to succeed, keep up and develop my skills. There’s so much more to this story, but I’ll stop here and hold back for now.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I own and operate a business named Reggiewine LLC. My website is focused on wine education, wine and food tours and cruises. It sounds simple but the path to my business was intense and filled with wine certifications, a lot of restaurant management, beverage management and wine importing and distribution.
Prior to starting my business in 2017, I started a wine program at South Seattle College, and managed the program from 2005 to 2017. I was a tenured full-time faculty member, a coordinator for the program and built much of the curriculum for the variety of degrees offered. I guided and advised thousands of students, and still tutor and advise along with teaching the certification courses that I mastered. I left the college but continue teaching the certifications and build tours for the students and wine enthusiasts who take my courses.
My passion is food and wine, and passing on the information to others. I love teaching about the culture, history, religious movements, medicines and so much more that both food and wine have been historically entwined with throughout Europe and the new world wine regions. And my hope is to spread the love of the slow food movement and the purity of sustainability in using fresh, local if possible, ingredients. I enjoy helping people grow their palate, respect the earth and food, and build a love for cooking for themselves and others. I also have learned that travel educates people in a way that no other learning can offer. My tours are not just an opportunity to visit other regions and cultures, but an opportunity to mingle with cultures that are different than their own. And through the travel to other regions across the globe the participants can lean just a little closer to understanding, respecting and enjoying the differences. Also learning to live with a group of mixed personalities for two weeks on a bus, in hotels, restaurants, through the experiences on farms, olive groves, cheese manufacturing and cooking classes. It builds relationships, and stretches each of us.
My other passion is meditation and spirituality, so I try to embed that daily with my tours and classes. That simply means being present for each individual, showing kindness, care and honoring who they are, it’s really wonderful to model an excellent attitude to each student, traveler and with all interactions. I hope that it inspires others to pass it on, and eventually more peace, joy and love for each other.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three skills that I learned early that were most helpful are:
1. Be kind to everyone, no matter who they are or what position they hold.
2. Be curious about everything that you encounter, and be honest when you don’t know the answer, but determine to learn the answers by asking others who are more skilled than you.
3. Knowledge comes in many packages, having children was a huge lesson in learning about people, I think that we all need to acknowledge our young people, even if you don’t have children it’s important to connect with them in whatever way you can, whether with nieces, nephews, neighbor children or volunteering. We learn from children, not just what and who they are but they mirror back to us who we are, it’s so valuable.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

Honestly all those challenging people and relationships have been the best teachers in my life. Each situation, relationship or barrier helped me learn and grow. I did have supportive people throughout my life and still do, but no one was more impactful to me than my own power of determination. That power came from the challenges that I faced, without those struggles I would not have found my strength and ability to be positive and overcome the hurdles that laid in my path. Most of us complain when a challenge arises, and I still stress over them, but have also learned to be determined to “figure” it out, and determined to learn from it. Most certainly that learning has catapulted me in a direction that I would have never expected. Often that direction is beneficial and inspiring.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.reggiewine.com/
• Instagram: @reggiewine2000
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reggie.daigneault
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/regina-daigneault-61093047/
• Twitter: I don’t use Twitter any longer

Image Credits

none, they are all my images