ALISHA LAMOS
Alisha Faye Lamos is a hospitality strategist and the founder of The Department of Apéritif (DPOA), a quietly powerful agency built on relationships, care, and the belief that the best moments in life are spent around food and wine.
Alisha’s path began with a hospitality degree earned between her native California and a formative chapter in Italy, where the pace, flavor, and ritual of the table shaped her sensibility. She began her career in Northern California’s wine country, rising from intern to lead events director at a prominent winery—an experience that instilled in her the art of intention and the nuance of experience design.
Later, in San Francisco, Alisha launched the events business for Big Night Restaurant Group, where she shaped gatherings across a portfolio of celebrated venues. From there, DPOA was born: a vision to help restaurants thrive by making planners' lives easier, crafting meaningful moments, and staying quietly behind the scenes.
Her client list has grown entirely by word of mouth, a testament to her deep trust in genuine connection over scale. She believes discretion is an asset, and keeps her work deliberately off the radar—focusing instead on doing it well. With DPOA, Alisha continues to elevate the art of hospitality with grace, grit, and good taste.
MARISSA GILLILAND
KIM ELWELL
Kim Elwell specializes in strategic storytelling, high-touch media relations, and brand partnerships for visionary clients across food, wine, design, and culture.
Born and raised in Napa Valley, with deep roots in San Francisco’s hospitality world —her family owned the landmark Bernstein’s Fish Grotto (1912-1981)—Kim has been immersed in restaurants since the age of 16. It was there she first fell in love with wine and the art of gathering, lessons that continue to shape her work today.
Kim began her career in music, creating her own degree in Music Business at San Francisco State University before spending several years working with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. She later pivoted into brand communications, serving more than seven years as Partner and Vice President at The James Collective, where she led campaigns that fused cultural cachet with measurable results, but also expanded the agency’s portfolio to include several high-profile winery clients, design firms, and hospitality projects across the Bay Area.
Equal parts strategist and cultural sponge, Kim is endlessly inspired by fashion, design, and the way unexpected industries inform unforgettable storytelling. When she’s not working, she’s listening to vinyl and booking her next trip (likely to Italy, where she'll twirl pasta with a glass of Nebbiolo in hand).
Marissa is a food and beverage leader specializing in hospitality, brand, marketing, and operations. Her work is guided by the conviction that strategy, intention, and human connection create meaningful, lasting experiences—and drive long-term business growth.
A Southern California native, Marissa relocated to the Bay Area in 2008, drawn by a lifelong fascination with food, culture, and craft. Her early career in Sales and Marketing at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company refined her approach to brand storytelling through close collaboration with chefs and winemakers across the Bay Area.
In 2019, Marissa completed the Wine Business program at Sonoma State University and joined Flowers Winery, leading the launch of the winery’s inaugural membership program and its first-ever tasting room. Her strategic lens and design sensibility expressed brand identity through an elevated hospitality experience that supported long-term direct-to-consumer growth.
In 2021, Marissa met Marine Layer Wines founders Baron Ziegler and Rob Fischer and joined the team to bring the Marine Layer vision into reality. She built the hospitality experience from the ground up, assembling and leading an exceptional team while overseeing operations, implementing key systems and platforms, and shaping the brand’s digital presence. In close partnership with the interior design team, she translated the brand’s aesthetic and values into an experience that felt intentional, understated, and deeply personal.
Today, Marissa lends her experience to hospitality and brand initiatives, bringing thoughtful leadership and strategic insight to every project. Marissa can usually be found either sipping grower Champagne and eating oysters or headbanging at a metal show. One or the other.
