UniBEERsity

Craig Altobello

Craig Altobello is a teacher at heart. He holds a Masters Degree in Math Education, and has over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry from dishwasher to Director of Operations. After a six-year run as a high school math teacher, a pivot towards the passion in hospitality led to a shift from teaching in high schools to training at Hard Rock Café in Niagara Falls, NY. Finding success as the training and bar manager, Craig was recruited to help open and design the beverage program for (716) Food & Sport for Pegula Sports and Entertainment (PSE). After a successful opening, Craig was promoted to General Manager before relocating to NJ where he then took over as General Manager for Joe’s Crab Shack.

Knowing that WNY was definitely “home,” Craig returned and was welcomed back to PSE as Director of Business Operations and ultimately Director of Operations, overseeing all full-service operations.

Craig followed his passion of craft beer and became a Certified Cicerone® and now owns & operates Magic Bear Beer Cellar - a craft beer store and tasting bar with a focus on the elevation & education of beer.

Tim Herzog

Tim Herzog is an award-winning brewer with over 40 years of experience and is licensed as a Certified Beer Judge. It had been Tim's dream to revamp the once-flourishing beer industry in Buffalo and with the opening of his own Flying Bison Brewing Company, the first stand-alone brewery in the city since Iroquois Brewing closed its doors in 1972, that dream was finally realized.

Tim grew up in Rochester, New York and found early on that he did not like the taste of American beer. Rather, he was inspired by the traditional beers of Ireland and Germany and began homebrewing in an attempt to brew recipes more to his liking. He studied brewing at the famed Siebel Institute and the American Brewers Guild and went on to intern with three breweries in California, Oregon, and Ontario. After years of practice, and the encouragement of his wife and family, Tim turned his hobby into a livelihood and Flying Bison Brewing Company was born. The name was chosen to pay homage to Buffalo's history of aviation manufacturing.

Tim's beers include a range of German, English, and American hops in order to achieve the desired style and flavor profile of each of his distinctive, incredibly flavorful brews.

Kate Little

Kate Little has over 25 years of experience in the Wine and Spirits Industry. She has worked for some of the largest distributors in New York, including Colony Liquor & Wine and Empire Merchants North. She regularly monitors industry trends and presents new products to her clients. Having had an extensive background in the hospitality industry, she works with restaurants on building their wine and spirit selections. Over the years she has facilitated various educational events for customers, staff, and the public, including tastings, wine dinners, and seminars.

Kate holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in French Literature and Spanish. She earned certification from the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust of London, Level 2 Wine & Spirits, and completed the prestigious Level 3 Wine exams.