Charleston Wine and Food Festival Team: A Tribute to My Thunder and Lightning

Behind every successful event is a team that makes the impossible look easy. This is my love letter to two of the best.

Originally wrote May 10, 2012

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The Charleston Wine and Food Festival has never been a one-woman show — and two people more than almost anyone else are the reason it became what it is today. Randi Weinstein and Sara Donahue are what I call my thunder and lightning, my right hand and left hand, my Charleston Wine and Food Festival team in its most essential form. They came into my world at roughly the same time, they are complete opposites in almost every way, and I genuinely hope they are in my life forever.

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The Charleston Wine and Food Festival Team That Changed Everything

When people congratulate me on the Festival’s success and I say it’s not me — Randi and Sara are a huge part of what I mean. They are two of the most powerful, hardworking, and dedicated people I have ever encountered in this industry. The event industry runs on people who can stay calm under pressure, solve problems before anyone notices they exist, and show up completely every single time. Randi and Sara do all of that and more, which is exactly why they are the backbone of our Charleston Wine and Food Festival team.

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Randi Weinstein: The Get-It-Done Force of Our Festival Team

If you’re part of the Charleston community, you likely already know Randi Weinstein — and if you do, then you already understand. She joined the Charleston Wine and Food Festival team in its second year, coming on essentially as a volunteer who immediately started whipping things into shape. Year two happened to be the most challenging year the Festival had faced to that point, and Randi not only stayed through it — she kept pushing, kept building, and kept after me until I finally brought her on full-time. I wish I had found her earlier. I am enormously grateful I found her at all.

What I love most about Randi is her directness. She tells the truth, she gets things done, and on most occasions we are so aligned that we barely need to finish each other’s sentences. She has been a mentor, a friend, and a steadying force through some genuinely rough stretches. She takes care of me when I need it and keeps me on track when I would otherwise drift. Every strong nonprofit leadership team needs someone like Randi at its core. We are lucky beyond measure that ours has her.

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Sara Donahue: The Secret Weapon of the Charleston Wine and Food Festival

Sara Donahue is what I call a secret weapon, and that description doesn’t even fully cover it. She is one of the smartest, most creative, most quietly formidable people I have ever worked with — mature well beyond her years and genuinely surprising me every single day. When people ask what Sara does for the Charleston Wine and Food Festival team, the most accurate answer is: what doesn’t she do?

There is no task she can’t conquer, no person she can’t manage, no situation she can’t navigate with complete smoothness and calm. She is someone I deeply admire, someone I love to spend time with, and someone I look forward to having beside me on many more adventures. Behind every great event is someone like Sara — invisible to most, indispensable to everyone who knows the truth.

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Why the Charleston Wine and Food Festival Team Is Everything

Building a great team is one of the hardest and most important things any leader can do, and I have been extraordinarily lucky. As Randi, Sara, and I head out on yet another food tour — ten days this time — I find myself genuinely overwhelmed with gratitude for the Charleston Wine and Food Festival team we have built together.

There are others who deserve their own tributes too — Austin, Zach, and Ashley among them, and I will get there. But today, on the eve of another adventure, this one is for my thunder and lightning.

I am so lucky to have you both. The Festival is what it is because of you.

With love and a full itinerary, Angel

P.S. Thought of the day: If lost, please keep for 24 hours.

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Learn more about Angel Holmes and everything she’s passionate about at sipindipity.com/angel-holmes.