Chelan’s palate and spirits knowledge foundation began in Washington State, where she developed recipes at a vegan/raw food place. Then, at an Asian fusion restaurant, she discovered the world of cocktails and was recommended for promotion to the Bar Team. But when that didn’t materialize, Chelan was determined to show them what she could do...literally. She threw a house party and set up her home bar styled to mimic that of a restaurant, showcasing both her homemade syrups, tinctures, bitters and fusions alongside her ability to make craft cocktails for a crowd. This bold move impressed one particular guest, the General Manager, and she was promoted. 

Chelan continued to educate herself on spirits, especially whiskey. A Seattle native, Chelan understood that the craft whiskey scene was growing, fueled by the tech geeks on the lookout for niche, novel,  and most importantly, native to the area. (While not a Single Malt, it should be noted that while not a Single Malt, she mentions Woodinville as one of her favorites.) 

It would turn out that “native” would be key to the whiskey scene. Research from the Washington State University Research and Extension Center show that its agricultural climate is similar to parts of Scotland. It’s this that prompted Matt Hoffman, co-founder and master distiller of Westland Single Malt to partner with their Bread Lab and local farms to experiment with barley to create a Northwest flavor profile. Their innovations include using Oregon oak (Quercus garryana) as part of a “Native Oak” series of whiskeys and a peated expression using peat from a bog in the Olympic Peninsula.

But Chelan’s need for professional experimentation would take her to the East Coast where she fell in love with New York City. She relocated just in time to “weather” Hurricane Sandy (which left 8 million people without power, costing $70 billion worth of damage) and eventually broke into fine dining at Del Posto, which she describes as “F&B [Food & Beverage] Bootcamp”. She ran a few of their staff education Masterclasses, and ended up at the John Dory Oyster Bar, when the cocktail program was led by the renowned late Sasha Petraske. [Sasha Petraske is known in the spirits industry as having reinvented cocktail culture worldwide and known for such iconic bars including Milk and Honey (NY, London), Dutch Kills, Middle Branch (NY), The Varnish (LA), and Everleigh (Melbourne).]

Chelan then moved on up to the [Upper] East Side as a Beverage Director and Bartender at The Jeffrey. Her knowledge and skills were recognized by two bar patrons who asked her to help them bring the New York craft cocktail bar culture to the first speakeasy in Taiwan, named Ounce Taipei. It ranked among the 50 best bars in Asia and was celebrated for being a leader for bespoke cocktails. 

Chelan continued to absorb local spirits knowledge from Hong Kong rum to, of course, Taiwan’s own Kavalan Single Malt, whose Solist Vinho Barrique won World's Best Single Malt Whisky (2015).