Chad grew up in the restaurant business, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where his father owned a couple of small restaurants. At Charlie Palmer’s Aureole, he tasted a wine, Raveneau’s Montée de Tonnerre Chablis, from 1996, that a “switch was flipped,” and he found in wine something that combined his love of narrative with his love of restaurants. Chad
became a sommelier for the opening of Aureole’s new location, on Bryant Park, only leaving to open Andrew Carmellini’s The Dutch in 2011 as its Beverage Manager. He was recruited by Danish culinary visionary Claus Meyer, best known in the states for founding Noma, to open Agern, in Grand Central Terminal. There he created a dynamic, all-domestic beverage list with a focus on independent producers, winning a Michelin star, three stars in the New York Times, with both publications specifically identifying the beverage program. Chad has been nominated to both Zagat’s 30 Under 30, and Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 lists of people to watch in food and wine, and in 2015 was named one of Food & Wine’s 2017 Sommeliers of the Year. In 2018 he was lured away from restaurants by Skurnik Wines & Spirits, where he continues to advocate for American wines.