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Meet Our Team
Josh & Lisa Lawrence, Proprietors
MICHELLE GECHELL
Tasting Room Manager
Michelle has been in the hospitality industry for over 15 years. She started her wine career at Spring Valley and then transferred to Columbia Crest in 2011. While at Columbia Crest she was the Events Coordinator and led the educational tours and tastings. Eight years later she decided to change careers and went to work for Vehrs Distributing. After some time working in distribution, she realized the wine industry was calling her back. That’s when she found her home at Desert Wind Winery. You can find Michelle floating throughout the facility, chatting with guests, making them feel welcome and at home.
Michelle has two amazing daughters and two beautiful grandkids. When she’s not working, Michelle loves to spend time outdoors.
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JUSTICE MEADOR
Inn Manager
Being born and raised locally in Prosser, Justice knows many familiar faces that walk through the door. Her welcoming smile and outgoing personality are the first things you see when you walk into Desert Wind Winery. She has been with us since 2021 and, as Inn Manager, strives to make Desert Wind the best destination winery in the Yakima Valley.
On Friday night, you may catch Justice with her adorable daughter Jemmalynn, listening to live music in the tasting room - it’s their Friday night ritual. As a guest once mentioned, “Some wineries have winery dogs, and Desert Wind has a Jemma.” In her spare time away from the winery, Justice loves spending time with her husband and daughter, taking their dog Carl to the park, playing board games, and visiting her family.
STEPHINEE BAUDER
Lead Event Coordinator
Stephinee has over 15 years of experience in customer service, marketing, counseling and event planning. With her bubbly personality and local roots in Tri-cities, she has made a lot of connections in the world of wine which led her here to Desert Wind as our Lead Event Coordinator. Stephinee has had a passion for wine for over a decade and is currently working on her sommelier certificates. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, an AA in Art & Science and Post-Baccalaureate in Humanities. It's safe to say that Stephinee loves people and has an incredible gift for creating events that you will remember forever.
When Stephinee isn’t at work, you can find her traveling to the Oregon Coast with her boyfriend and daughter, or creating works of art to raise money for the homeless community in our area.
MICHAEL ELLIG
Head Chef
Mike grew up in Kennewick, Wash., where he spent most of his childhood into his adult years playing golf. In 2007, he set off to Arizona to play college golf and after graduating with an AA in Business Management, decided to switch gears and work as a prep cook at 5 Diamond Resort. He moved back to Kennewick in 2008 where he continued his passion for food, eventually landing at Ice Harbor Brewery at The Marina where he became Head Chef. He later worked at Player’s Sports Bar as a Food Creator and spent two years developing popular dishes and working in management.
Currently, Mike is our Head Chef at the Kitchen at Desert Wind, where he looks forward to continuing to expand and grow our culinary offerings. He prides himself on his work ethic, pursuing his culinary dream, and creating a restaurant experience that people want to return to time and time again.
JENNIFER COCHRAN
Marketing Director
Born and raised in Wash., Jen earned her B.A. in Business, with an emphasis in Management of Information Systems from Washington State University. She started her career in computer programming, but found herself moving in a more creative direction into areas such as website development, content creation and editing, visual design, product/program management, and marketing.
She’s passionate about wine, travel, family, and friends and loves spending time with her husband and two daughters.