Naman Shrestha
‘Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter’ is a documentary about one of the greatest chefs to come out of America—Charlie Trotter. Highlighting the highs and lows of his exceptional culinary career, it gives us a detailed account of Chef Charlie’s life. Although the documentary features interviews with various family members and friends of the late chef, his first wife, Lisa Ehrlich, grabs the attention of the viewers due to the pivotal role she played in his career and life.
Lisa Ehrlich Had a Huge Hand in Charlie Trotter’s Success
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Lisa Ehrlich completed her schooling at James Madison Memorial High School before studying Political Science – Law & Politics at Northwestern University. For higher studies, she went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a degree in Behavioral Science and Law / French. The daughter of Edward Ehrlich crossed paths with Charlie Trotter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981, and over a period of time, they got close and began seeing each other.
On August 31, 1986, the two tied the knot while being surrounded by their family and friends. Supporting Charlie’s dreams since the beginning, she played a vital role in leading him and his restaurant, Charlie Trotter’s, to the heights they reached in the years to come. As Charlie became too focused on running the restaurant, their marriage suffered the consequences, and they got divorced in 1990. However, Lisa remained his confidant for several years after they separated.
Lisa Ehrlich is the Proud Owner of Drink Cultivated
After serving as the Manager/Wine & Spirits Director at her then-husband’s restaurant Charlie Trotter’s from 1986 to 1990, Lisa Ehrlich bagged a job as the District Sales Manager at Seagram Classics Wine Company in Southern California/Southern Nevada. Switching jobs again, she became the Founder and General Partner of Grapevine Wine Company in the Greater Los Angeles Area for a couple of years, from 1994 to 1996. She then got a job at E&J Gallo Winery, where she served as Senior Marketing Manager.
Then, in January 2001, Lisa became the Group Product Director at Jim Beam Brands in Deerfield, Illinois. After a year or so, she became associated with Hambrecht Vineyards & Winery as the Director of Marketing for only a few months before she moved on to Robert Mondavi Winery and took up the same role. In January 2005, the former wife of Charlie Trotter began working at Purple Brands in Graton, California, as the EVP, Branding and Innovation/Chief Spirits Wrangler. Having gained decades of experience in the wine, spirits, and beer industry, she has managed to launch more than 40 brands.
In 2016, Lisa decided to cash in on her experience and founded Drink Cultivated. Today, she is the Principal Owner of the company in Sonoma County, California. Throughout the years, she has also become an accomplished speaker as she has been a part of moderated panels at various industry events, such as the Wines & Vines Wine Packaging Conference, the OIV Wine Marketing Short Course at UC-Davis Extension, the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, the Wine Market Council, and the Santa Rosa Junior College International Marketing Conference.
Lisa Leads a Happily Married Life in Sonoma County
Having found success on the professional front, Lisa Ehrlich attempted to do the same on the personal front and succeeded. On August 15, 2010, she exchanged marital vows with John DeAguiar, who was also a former graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and had a daughter named Ariel Jackson from a previous relationship. As of September 2017, she and her husband owned two dogs, one of whom is named Jupiter. Apart from being a mother, she is also a grandmother to the five children of her two stepdaughters.
On her father’s 94th birthday, Lisa took to social media and expressed words of appreciation towards him, writing, “…After decades of an illustrious career as an academic and practicing Endocrinologist, Edward Ehrlich has kept his medical license current. This requires that he spend hours online studying and taking exams. It’s a way he stays engaged and current in the practices of the profession that has been his life’s work, but it’s also an inspiring lesson in lifelong learning, one that I plan to follow. Hat’s off to you dad, and Happy Birthday!” Currently residing in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, she is focused on the success of her business and involved in the lives of her loved ones. She loves watching the sun go down behind the mountains in Sonoma County.
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