Chris is a New Englander, having grown up throughout upstate New York, Amherst, Boston and Cape Cod. He attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY graduating in 2000 and has worked in restaurants across the country including Denver, Phoenix, Santa Barbara and Seattle.

Chris eventually settled in Seattle where he began to take classes with the International Sommelier Guild. He passed the Certified Sommelier exam in 2008 followed by the Advanced exam in 2009 and finally earned his title of Master Sommelier in May of 2013.

In Seattle, heworked at some of the city’s most iconic restaurants such as Canlis, RN74, Matt’s in the Market, The Herbfarm, and Aragona.

He has since filled roles as a portfolio manager for an importer and distributor where he managed relationships with over 300 producers. He also consults on beverage programs for new restaurants, assesses quality control for new wine brands, judges for the Decanter World Wine Awards and speaks at numerous wine events throughout the year.

In 2017 Chris started with GuildSomm as their Chief Instructor traveling all over North America teaching in-depth masterclasses on the world of wine. In 2022 he stepped into the Director of Education role. He also contributes to podcasts, videos and Guildsomm.com.