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Nicola Inwood
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Nicola Inwood, originally from Toronto, Canada, draws her creativity and vision from her personal and professional experiences. In her search for an environment that provided artistic and entrepreneurial freedom she discovered the Mexican culture and was drawn to its magic. Upon her arrival in Playa del Carmen, Nicola spent her time diving in the ocean, exploring the jungle and letting her creativity take over in her latest project, the development and design of Hotel Tropical Casablanca, creating a warm and welcoming environment for visitors to the Riviera Maya. She divides her time between Playa del Carmen and Tulum as both locations offer serenity to her eventful and demanding life. Nicola nurtures her creativity through writing, design and documentation of her travels in Mexico. Her background in marketing, communications, public relations and design are all instrumental to support her role as Chairperson for Taste of Playa 2010. |
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Ellen De Jonge
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Ellen de Jonge was born and raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and came to Playa del Carmen in 2001. In the Netherlands, after a successful swimming career, she studied sports and became a swim teacher/coach, specializing in aqua fit sports. Through this course of study, she discovered her love for Yoga, which she has been studying for the past seven years. While studying yoga, Ellen worked at the world famous Tequila Barrel and there met many of the diverse residents of Playa del Carmen. She is now the proud owner of “Yoga by the Way” and is busy teaching, training new instructors and giving workshops. Ellen continues her study of yoga with the big masters and often participates in teacher trainings to keep on deepen her knowledge. She is also interested in the study of nutrition, Yoga science and therapy. Ellen was a volunteer for Taste of Playa 2009 and is pleased to join the Executive Committee as the Volunteer Chairperson for Taste of Playa 2010.
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Michele Kinnon
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Michele, originally from Loudonville, New York graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Stage Management and Design. After working for ten years in professional theatre she parlayed her creative and organizational skills into an exciting career in the food and beverage industry and later followed her passion into fine wine sales. Hoping to offer their children a more global perspective, in 2004, Michele and her husband Rob moved their young family to Playa del Carmen where they own and operate Buy Playa Real Estate Advisors. Michele not only participates on the Taste of Playa Executive Commmittee but was also a Platinum Level Sponsor for Taste of Playa 2009. In her free time, Michele travels with her family, writes a popular regional interest blog, administrates a regional events calendar, lends her support to numerous local non-profits and heads up the Marketing Committee for the 2010 event. |
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Gaby Waldert
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After graduating from University in Wolfsburg, Germany, Gabi dedicated herself to a gratifying but challenging career as a social worker, counseling and finding assistance for those in need in her home country. Her attention to detail and creative abilities were perfected while organizing music festivals in her hometown. Looking to broaden her horizons, Gabi relocated to Playa del Carmen in 2001 where she co-owns a web based travel planning company and an online travel planner for Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya for the German tourist market www.mexiko-mexiko.de. Gabi works full-time as independent agent, specialized in Long Term Rentals and Property Management for Playa del Carmen. You can find lots of information on her website www.playa-rentals.com about living in and moving to Playa del Carmen. Gabi loves to spend her time with her Mexican and foreign friends from all over the world, enjoying the beauty of this small cosmopolitan town at the shores of the Caribbean. Her unique perspectives and organizational skills have made her a welcome addition to the Taste of Playa team, heading up the Graphics Executive Committee for the second year.
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Armando Elizalde
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After 2 years of Majoring in Business and International Trade studies at the Tec. De Monterrey Campus Guadalajara, Armando Elizalde moved from Jalisco to Quintana Roo in 1995, to live in paradise and work with tourism. Upon arrival, he started a new career and venture in cave diving. Over the years, this eventually brought him to become an important part of the local leadership that created a 30+ strong professional divers’ association, for the purpose of protecting the reefs, cenotes and mangroves in the region. Besides environmental activism and running a cavern diving tour operation, Armando writes an on-line magazine, Mexican Caribbean Today, a website publishing important news coverage of the State of Quintana Roo in English. Armando has traveled around 13 countries and 3 continents, so he has been on both sides of the fence when it comes to tourism, as a service provider and a partcipant in local services. He also writes recipes and restaurant reviews to support the hundreds of eatries in the area.
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Monica Hartlief
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Monica comes to Playa del Carmen from Holland by way of Aruba, Jamaica, Hong Kong, and Australia. After finishing her studies in political science at the University of Amsterdam, she travelled extensively before settling into the world of recruiting and telecommunications. After moving to Playa del Carmen in 1999, Monica started her own business, The Dive Company, which organizes scuba instruction and dive trips for visitors to the Riviera Maya. In 2006 Monica expanded her business model and, in partnership with Susan DeLima, formed Latido de Mexico, an all inclusive tourism company offering comprehensive vacation planning services including vacation rentals, property management, dive packages, tours, transfers, and catering. Monica’s business experience and commitment to the Playa del Carmen community make her a vital member of the Taste of Playa team as the head of the Restaurant Executive Committee |
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Sherry Stevens
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Born and raised in Evansville, Indiana, Sherry studied Interior Design, Graphics and Marketing at the University of Kentucky and competed in Championship level equestrian events. Upon graduation, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia to begin her own mail order company, Scintilla, representing designers and craftsmen of artisan lighting, home décor and jewelry, a creative career which helped polish her entrepreneurial acuity. Looking for a change of lifestyle, Sherry moved to Playa del Carmen in 2001 where she co-owns a web based travel planning company and works for One Stop Real Estate. Sherry is passionate about animals and dedicates herself to supporting local non-profits such as Coco’s Cat Rescue and the Peanut Pet Shelter. She is also the regional organizer for the annual V.I.D.A.S. clinic, an animal sterilization initiative offered free of charge to the residents of Playa del Carmen. Sherry’s commitment to the community combined with her expertise in design, marketing and retail make her a perfect fit to the lead the Marketplace Committee for Taste of Playa for another year |
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Susan DeLima
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Susan, originally from Canada, has lived in Playa del Carmen since 2004. Her adventurous spirit has lead to many exciting life experiences with travels to Jamaica, Central and South America, Mexico, and beyond. After travelling south almost every winter for more than 15 years Susan dreamed of living the Caribbean lifestyle. An opportunity to start her own company presented itself, and she welcomed the challenge. With years of experience in the service industry (including social services!) and always entertaining friends, family and strangers that passed through Playa del Carmen, Susan decided to expand on the idea. Having experience with a variety of food types and genres of cooking she has now developed her menus with original recipes that reflect her style of cooking with the fresh flavors of Mexico. She is a wonderful chef, hostess and a fountain of knowledge about tours, activities and dining in the area. It was only natural that she combined all these characteristics to create a top notch catering and concierge service for Latido de Mexico. This year, Susan joins the Taste of Playa Executive Committee as the Chairperson for Operations.
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Mitch Gour
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Mitch Gour, originally from Edmonton Alberta, joins the Taste of Playa Executive Committee after retiring early from a successful career in Finance and Business Management in the Canadian recreation vehicle and auto industries. After living for awhile in San Pedro Belize, she and her partner Sev, found their way north to Playa del Carmen. Here she plans to use the Riviera Maya as a home base for her continuing global adventures and travel writing. Mitch has traveled all over the world, sampling the cultures and cuisines of dozens of countries and is looking forward to building her home and putting down some roots in Mexico. Mitch attended last year’s Taste of Playa event and is excited to be invited to join the Executive Committee as the Sponsorship Chairperson.
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Tyra Hamilton
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Tyra grew up in Austin, Texas, later, moving to Dallas to pursue a career in the field of commercial real estate. After spending many wonderful vacations in Playa del Carmen, she took a leap of faith and in 2006 decided to make Playa her home where she lives happily with her partner Jurgen, two dogs and a cat. Currently, Tyra works as an Administrative Manager for one of the Riviera Maya’s most successful adventure tour companies, Yucatan Explorer. In her precious free time, she supports the efforts of several local not-for-profits and enjoys the vibrant culture and natural resources of this region. The Executive Committee is delighted to welcome Tyra to the Taste of Playa team where she provides invaluable Administrative Support and Operations Coordination for this event.
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2010 Committee Volunteers
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