Meet the Team
Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are passionate about what they do and make it their mission to help you find something you’ll love.
Meet our staff
Anna
Anna is the Marketing Coordinator here at France 44. She has loved getting to learn more about cheese & wine at France 44, including earning a WSET 2 Certification in Wines. When she's not at France 44, you can find Anna gardening, seeing live music, and tending to her sourdough starter, Massimo.
Austin
Austin is a Certified Cheese Professional (ACS CCP®) and runs our education program here at France 44. When he’s not behind the cheese counter or leading classes in the Events Space, Austin can be found reading, gardening, or in the kitchen coming up with new class ideas to share with out customers and staff.
Benjamin
Our Cheesemonger in Chief Benjamin is in charge of overseeing all three foods retail shops as well as our production kitchen. He is particularly keen on bubbles, and always has a hunk of Comte in his fridge (as everyone should). He would like the world to know that he never eats cold cheese, and neither should you.
Bennett
Bennett is our Spirits Buyer, is a Certified Cicerone® and holds his WSET Level 3 Certification in Wines. You’ll often see him lurking about the German pilsner and kölsch sections. He also enjoys Steel Toe, Odell, and La Croix and chocolate milk on occasion. If he wasn’t at France 44, he’d be trying to make it work as a full-time snowboard bum. He and his wife share a great Anatolian Shepherd named Bear.
Bill
Bill is France 44’s beer buyer. He's been at the store since 2006 and has his WSET Level 3 Wines & Spirits certification. He regularly stocks his fridge with local Craft Pilsners, Chenin Blanc, Rosé, Gin, Cocchi Americano, and Bubbles ... always Bubbles. At home, you'll find him cooking for his wife Bec, and arguing with his dog Mavis, the most stubborn Pyrenees in St. Paul.
Carol Ann
Carol Ann has worked at France 44 since 2012. Her jobs have included Manager of the St. Paul Cheese Shop, Director of Catering and Gifts, and currently, HR Manager for all France 44 businesses. Of all those jobs, some of her favorite moments were in the St. Paul Cheese Shop. Nothing beats the lunch rush. There are few places in the Twin Cities where Minnesotans come out of their Midwest shell. Strangers find common ground, and everyone feels like they belong in the group.
Chris
Chris is one of our newest cashiers, and also works on our liquor and beer teams. Chris is an agave aficionado and has his WSET Level 1 Certification in Wines. Outside of France 44, he is also a local guide and history buff, and runs a private concierge service called the Twin City Squire. Find him reading up on Minnesota history on a slow day at the registers.
Dio
Dio is France 44's resident doodler and graphic designer. They started as a cheesemonger at the St. Paul Cheese Shop, and since then have migrated to behind-the-scenes work making France 44 materials more beautiful. When not at France 44 Dio keeps busy by fighting pipelines, doing collaborative arts organizing, and building tiny things out of cardboard. They are thrilled to put their geography degree to use by creating wine maps for the liquor store.
Dylan
Dylan is a manager and part of our spirits staff. He finds Kentucky Bourbon and Rye Whiskey particularly riveting, and also keeps a decent amount of beer and too much vermouth in his fridge. He once tore his MCL doing the limbo, and has been to Bonnaroo 29 times.
Emily
Emily started working on the wine team at France 44 in 2022 following many years working in Twin Cities restaurants, and she has her WSET Level 3 in wine. Her favorite styles of wine are always changing, as is the dynamic world of wine! Her fridge and bar are consistently stocked with cheap bubbles, way too many jars of pickles, and Fernet Branca.
Hailey
Hailey is our Events Director. She has a WSET Level 3 Certification in Wines. She will forever be on a deep-dive into vineyard soil types and their effects on wines. Her fridge is always filled with a healthy combination of cheap beer, Riesling, and a shelf full of condiments.
Luis
Luis is the reason our store stays as clean and beautiful as it does. When he’s not sanitizing, sweeping, vacuuming, or replenishing paper towels, he helps out at the registers with bagging and carry-outs on busy evenings and weekends. Give him a wave and an “hola!” next time you see him.
Maura
Maura fell into the cheese world more or less accidentally back in 2013. After returning home to the Twin Cities in 2018, she began working at France 44, or as her Mom describes it, "the place with that amazing cheese dip." Formerly Head Cheese Buyer, Maura currently dabbles in a little bit of everything, including but not limited to wrangling Thanksgiving turkeys, catching typos, and finding the most efficient possible way to bag your groceries. Maura became a Certified Cheese Professional® in 2024.
Peter
Peter keeps our Cheese Shop running smoothly, and is also the grocery buyer for the foods business. His tastes are inspired by the changing seasons, and his fridge is currently stocked with the usual: fruits and vegetables, a few different cheeses, eggs, butter, jams, and ice cream sandwiches. His family’s farm business just turned 182 years old!
Rick
Rick started back in the family business just as it was about to undergo a major expansion. His first memories of the building go back to the mid-70s when his dad put him in an empty beer box and rode him up and down the conveyor belt. He worked on-and-off through his teenage years, dusting bottles, stocking shelves and bagging ice. His wine cabinet is dominated by pinot noirs and Piedmontese reds. If he were not working here, he would be looking for new excuses to travel to wine country.
Rob
Rob is another proud member of our Beer Team's cave trolls. He's the sole employee brave enough to have his recommendation tags hanging below Hamm's If you don't mind a little breaking and entering, you'll find his fridge stocked heavily with Pales, Pils, and the aforementioned cans from the Land of Sky Blue Waters. Oh, and Old Home Small Curd Cottage Cheese.
TK
TK is part of our wonderful wine team and has her WSET Level 2 Certification in Wines. Thank god, wine is gluten free! TK is proudly Deaf & an LGTBQ ally, and can communicate with you either in sign language or with her phone's text notes. She enjoys learning about wines and how they pair with food, and off duty, is a dog mama and loves to spoil her fur baby, Marv.
Thomas
Thomas joined the cheese shop in 2019 as a meat monger, before moving up to become an assistant manager in 2022. He is the Renaissance Man of the Cheese Shop; he might sell you cheese on Monday, make you a delicious sandwich on Wednesday, and guide you through reverse searing a ribeye on Saturday. A lover of all things food, his go-to steak is a bavette and go-to wine is Riesling.
Troy
Troy joined our wine team in 2024. He has his CWP and WSET III certification in wine. He left his technology career behind to pursue his passion in wine and wine travel. When Troy's not selling our guests delicious wines, he's more than likely traveling through wine country in Europe with his wife and fellow wine lover, Jenn. Troy loves bringing his wine adventures to life through his wine recommendations.
Yunah
Yunah creates experiences that bring people together over great wine, spirits, and food. With a background in law and fine dining, she brings sharp attention to detail and an intuitive sense for anticipating guests’ needs. She’s passionate about traditional Japanese cuisine, funky fermented flavors, and anything delightfully stinky. Most days, you’ll find her sipping natty wine, makgeolli, or sake—and planning her next travel-to-eat adventure.
Zoe
Zoe runs our catering team here at France 44. She comes to us with a both a culinary and pastry background, and is passionate about culinary education & helping people figure out how to cook more at home. Zoe is looking forward to bringing some new ideas to the catering, events, and class offerings, and working with all of the different teams to do so!
Employment opportunities
We are always on the hunt for service-oriented, honest and smart individuals who love to work hard. Visit our employment page to learn more about our job opportunities, requirements, and how to apply.
