7/7 JIM STRIEGEL, RED MARE WINES, LESLIE GILLIAM, MASTERCHEF, FOX

JIM STRIEGEL - RED MARE WINES

Jim Striegel began his love of wine at an early age while making wine with his father.  They shipped a variety of grapes from Napa Valley, California to their hometown of Carbondale, Illinois and enjoyed red table wine with family and friends.

Jim enjoyed summers in the Napa Valley areaa with childhood friends when there were only ten wineries in the area, including Stag's Leap.  They would hang out in the vineyards and the cellars, experiencing the rich traditions that come along with it, including the annual "blessing of the grapes".

With over forty years of experience in sales and marketing, Jim has built many successful businesses in the apparel, automobile and real estate industries.  He worked for Izod Lacoste in Paris in the eighties and was able to further his wine education in both the Burgundy and Bordeaux regions of France.

When he was ready to begin his own brand, he called renowned winemaker Heidi Barrett.  In addition to being a huge, longtime fan of Heidi's winemaking, he worked with her on a wine dinner in the Dallas area and trusted her advice and guidance.  It was through Heidi that he met winemaker and partner Anne Vawter and the rest is history.

WWW.REDMAREWINES.COM


LESLIE GILLIAM – MASTERCHEF ON FOX MONDAY, JULY 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT)

In the next challenge, the remaining contestants must put aside their differences and work in pairs to create a restaurant quality surf and turf dish. The teams who impress the judges will be safe from elimination, while the teams who fall short will face an intense pressure test featuring classic spring rolls. Find out who will stay afloat in the competition and whose dish ultimately sinks in the all-new “Top 15 Compete” episode of MASTERCHEF airing Monday, July 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

ABOUT MASTERCHEF:
Host and award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot return for Season Five of the culinary smash hit MASTERCHEF, premiering Monday, May 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The three celebrated food experts will put the latest group of contestants through a series of challenging elimination rounds and turn one home cook into a culinary master.

The unscripted series once again will conduct a nationwide search for the best home cooks in America, thirty of which will be flown to Los Angeles to present their signature dishes to the judges in hopes of earning a coveted MASTERCHEF apron.

Once the auditions are over, the top home cooks will be put through their paces in a series of challenges designed to test their palates, food knowledge, passion and culinary skills. In MASTERCHEF's biggest field challenge ever, the home cooks will work in teams to prepare a hearty meal for more than 500 hungry servicemen and women on an army base. Later, the hopefuls will hit the beach to prepare an unforgettable two-course dinner for a summer wedding, visit a local diner to prepare American classics, cook a romantic dinner for 14 couples, serve game-day favorites for hungry football fans and take command of a legendary Hollywood restaurant. With each new challenge, the pressure will mount as the home cooks compete for the coveted title of MASTERCHEF, a cookbook deal and the $250,000 grand prize.

WWW.FOX.COM/MASTERCHEF