About

In 2019, after moving to a new city and falling into the restaurant industry as a second career, I realized I had a major gap in wine knowledge. I was embarrassed by how far behind I felt and made every mistake you can imagine. This includes confidently suggesting a Chardonnay to a guest who was specifically asking for a Napa Cabernet recommendation. I could see it on his face as he lost all trust in me.

Not content with my obvious blind spots, I began learning anything and everything I could about wine, restaurants, and providing great service. I volunteered to organize and stock the wine room in order to become familiar with the wines. In my free time I read every book about wine and service I could get my hands on.

Soon I began studying for my level one sommeliers exam. During that process I went searching for wine maps to help me ground all of the information I was learning. Unfortunately, everything I found either had so much information that they were difficult to read or too little information that they weren't particularly helpful. I decided to make my own maps, incorporating only the most relevant information. They quickly became an invaluable tool, helping me pass my level one sommelier's exam.

As a result many of my coworkers began coming to me with their wine questions. That drove me to start my website, TheServerUnderground.com, with the mission of building a place where servers could have access to my maps, useful information about wine, and everything I have learned about great service and hospitality.

I continued my wine education and began studying for my level two exam. I adapted my maps, updating them for this higher level. Again, they proved to be a powerful study aid helping me pass my certified sommelier's exam on my first attempt.

As a newly pinned certified sommelier I got hired as the assistant wine director of an amazing Italian restaurant. Soon, I was promoted to Wine Director and Assistant General Manager. Now in charge of the program, I used everything I had learned to create a well-organized and highly profitable wine program. I worked closely with our General Manager to raise service standards and hosted a series of wine education classes for the staff. As a result, our servers became more comfortable talking about wine, consistently made better recommendations, and created elevated experiences for our guests.

Outside of being wine director, in my free time I continued working on The Server Underground and developed a business partnership with How to Drink Wine. We worked together to provide resources that help aspiring sommeliers pass their certifying exams; sharing my maps, illustrations, and experience.

Today, my focus is on building a place that provides the resources, guidance, and practical knowledge that I wish I'd had when I was starting out. Wine doesn't need to be intimidating, hospitality can be the most fun part of the industry, and a serving job can quickly become a rewarding professional career. Whether you're an individual looking to hone your craft or a manager looking to elevate your team's performance, let us show you how (and hopefully save you the embarrassment of recommending a Chardonnay to a guest who wants a Napa Cab)!