Acclaimed LA mixologists to judge Redlands Cocktail Competition
Naomi Schimek, Vincenzo Marianella and Karen Grill bring decades of hospitality experience to the Aug. 20 competition featuring 12 Redlands bars and restaurants.
REDLANDS, Calif. — Three veterans of the Los Angeles cocktail scene will decide which local creations take top honors when the Redlands Chamber of Commerce's annual Cocktail Competition returns Aug. 20.
Naomi Schimek, Vincenzo Marianella and Karen Grill will serve as judges for the fourth annual competition, bringing backgrounds that span some of Southern California's best-known bars and restaurants, national cocktail competitions, beverage consulting and hospitality education.
The competition will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Mitten Building, 345 N. Fifth St. Twelve Redlands restaurants and bars are scheduled to compete, each creating an original cocktail or mocktail inspired by Redlands.
Attendees will sample the entries and vote for the People's Choice Award, while the three judges will select winners for Best Cocktail, Best Mocktail and Taste of Redlands. Winners are expected to be announced at 7 p.m.
Meet the judges
Naomi Schimek has more than three decades of hospitality experience, ranging from nightclubs and neighborhood bars to upscale cocktail lounges and fine dining.
Schimek spent four years as beverage director of The Spare Room inside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where the cocktail program earned two nominations for Best American Hotel Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
She also served four years on the board of the United States Bartenders' Guild Southern California Chapter, including two years as president, where her work included producing cocktail competitions, fundraisers and educational seminars.
Schimek later founded Schimek Studios, which provides event production, menu design, cocktail and spirits education and brand development. Her career has also included six years as a global brand ambassador for Cognac Park, a role that took her on four tours of China to teach classes and guest bartend in nearly 30 cities.
Her work has been featured in publications including Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Los Angeles Magazine and the Los Angeles Times.
Vincenzo Marianella began his bartending career in London before becoming a prominent figure in Los Angeles' cocktail scene. He spent a decade leading the bar program at Copa d'Oro in Santa Monica and helped open the bar at Providence, the Michelin-starred Los Angeles restaurant.
Marianella now oversees beverage operations and training for Eataly and Terra across the West Coast and leads MyMixology, his beverage consulting company. His work has included developing cocktail programs, opening bars and restaurants and training hospitality teams.
He has been a finalist for a Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award, co-hosted The Taste at Paramount Pictures with the late Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold and authored "The New Bloody Mary."
Karen Grill has worked in hospitality since she was a teenager and has been part of the Los Angeles cocktail industry since 2009. Her career has included positions at several notable Los Angeles restaurants and bars, including Rivera, Playa, Bestia and Sassafras Saloon.
At Sassafras, Grill served as general manager and oversaw its cocktail program while working alongside bartenders during service. In a 2014 interview with Eater Los Angeles, Grill described an approach focused on making craft cocktails accessible and efficient enough for a high-volume bar that could serve hundreds of customers in a night.
Grill has won multiple cocktail competitions, including four national titles, and was named one of America's Best Bartenders by Spirit Magazine and to Zagat's "30 Under 30" list of hospitality professionals, according to a 2022 profile by Advanced Mixology.
Twelve local competitors
This year's competition will feature The Bistro & Lounge, Finney's Crafthouse, Ōku Nori, Cedar Agave, Fiora Pizzeria, The Overland, Escape Craft Brewery, The Industry Redlands Bar | Bistro, RPM Bar, Eureka!, Made From Scratch and Septembers Taproom & Eatery.
The competition has grown into the Chamber's signature summer event, drawing hundreds of attendees to sample drinks and highlight Redlands' restaurant and hospitality community.
Admission includes tastings of the competition entries, voting privileges and light snacks. The event is open to guests 21 and older, and tickets are limited.
Tickets are available through the Redlands Chamber of Commerce.
