Growing up I always wanted to be a chef. I got my first job in a restaurant as a dishwasher when I was 13. I believed that being a chef was about apprenticeship and working your way up. By the time I was 17, I was offered a Sous Chef position at the restaurant I was working in, so I dropped out of high school to pursue my dream. A few years later after working for the wrong people, I started to burn out. I decided to try working in the dining room and again worked my way up from busboy to floor manager. That’s where I fell in love with wine. Not just drinking it, but learning the stories and meeting the people behind these wines that I loved. I feel so lucky that my wife and I are able to set the example for our two kids that you can make a living doing something that you are truly passionate about.