PUG
During a maritime career that spanned the globe, Pug spent his time in port strumming a guitar in restaurants. In 1971, he jumped ship for good and joined the restaurant business despite longer hours and less pay. Pug began this career as an entertainer and bartender, progressing through the ranks until he had started more wine bars and restaurants than you can count on two hands. He is now down to two and aiming at none. Blue water sailing and New Zealand are calling.

Pug is also an avid outdoorsman; just as long as there is plenty of ice, proper appetizers and vintages, and no one touches his camp chair! Some of his evening dialogues on the river will include: "Aerobics Without Spilling", "Reversing the Atkins Diet One Pound a Day" and "Salmon-Chanted Evening - Ingest 'n Imbibe where the Salmon Reside". For Pug, the advancement of wine awareness has been a three-decade commitment, with a zealous desire to remove barriers from wine and food enjoyment.

LISA
Lisa Whisnant has been guiding river trips in Idaho and on the Grand Canyon for over two decades. Inspired by the camaraderie of river trips, Lisa keeps the party happening in the winter with five-course meals in a cozy, Mongolian-style yurt located on the shores of Payette Lake. Her "adventure dining" is called Blue Moon Outfitters and has been featured in WINE & COUNTRY magazine. Nobody can create four-star meals under a star-studded sky like Lisa.

On your river trip, Lisa will take you on a world tour of the flavor zone. She'll explain the blending of the sweet, salty, spicy and sour tastes that sets Thai cuisine apart. She'll take you through the southwest with tapas, sangrias and her signature salsas for every occasion. Then it's off to Tuscany with a 2,000 year heritage of olive oils, breads and comfort food. Closer to home, Lisa will introduce you to the easy, but elegant cuisine of the Pacific Northwest. The last night's Salmon River Luau will bring it all together with tips for throwing the best party of your life.

What better place than the Main Salmon River to enjoy food, wine, family and friends. Add some natural beauty, camaraderie, fierce fun, a large bunch of laughter, a pinch of sarcasm, a dash of music, and you'll have a great recipe for indelible memories. Join Pug and Lisa for the Canyons' Culinary Confluence.