Charlie Berg

Charlie Berg was a Sommelier on the top wine team in the world, at Eleven Madison Park restaurant in New York City before coming to Houston, Texas answering a call from nationally respected Master Sommelier Keith Goldston to check out an 'interesting cellar project' for Tilman Fertitta. Before EMP, Charlie was the Head Sommelier at Blue Hill at Stone Barns with Chef Dan Barber, forming one half of the infamous 'C&C Music Factory' of Charles Puglia (Blue Hill Beverage Director) and Charlie Berg (Head Sommelier).
Charlie grew up in south-west Virginia with his five siblings, attended classes at Emory & Henry College, and worked his first job at the age of sixteen at Paul Price Carpets in Abingdon, Virginia.  
Charlie got his start in the world of professional sommeliers at the Troutdale Dining Room in Bristol, Tennessee in his early twenties beginning as a server and working his way up to becoming the first dedicated wine professional at that well-known dining institution. From the Troutdale, Charlie was scouted by two talented chefs from Chicago's Alinea and Charlie Trotter to be the sommelier and front of house manager at their new project: the re-envisioned Town House restaurant, owned by successful local business owners Tom and Kyra Bishop. Town House went on to national acclaim, including articles in the New York Times, and the cover of Food & Wine magazine.             
In 2011 Charlie passed the Advanced exam of the elite Court of Master Sommeliers, joining the ranks of only 400 wine professionals world-wide to have passed this incredibly difficult 5 day examination process--on the first attempt. This led to a scholarship from the prestigious French Culinary Institute in New York City, and a job offer from Chef Michael Mina to join the management team at his Four Seasons Hotel Georgetown-based concept restaurant, Bourbon Steak in Washington, D.C.  
Berg attended classes in New York three days a week while working in Washington, taking the nightly 'Chinatown bus', getting his sleep on the four hour commute--"one of the most difficult things I've done".
         While attending the French Culinary Institute, Charlie caught the attention of the vice president and PR director of world renown farm-to-table destination: Blue Hill at Stone Barns, on the Rockefeller's agricultural research farm 30 minutes north of New York City. He was approached to be the Head Sommelier of that world-level restaurant with Beverage Director Charles Puglia, in 2013. During Charlie's tenure at Blue Hill, he went on to be recognized at several national competitions including the Sud de France and Ruinart Champagne Challenge, pass the theory portion of the Master Sommelier Exam, as well as earn the Grand Award from the Wine Spectator publication, and catapult Blue Hill to the number 11 spot on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. In October of 2016 Berg was selected to join the wine team at Eleven Madison Park, in New York City. This group of elite somms was chosen for that famous restaurant's final assault on the number one position for best restaurant in the world. On April, 5th 2017, in Melbourne Australia, that dream was realized. 

Reasons for returning to his hometown include 'time for preparing to pass the Master Sommelier Examination, and to spend time with family that I haven't seen in years'.
He made the move to Houston in early with his beautiful wife Anastasia Berg, a Screen Actor's Guild qualified, full-time actress who got her start in commercial, stage, and film acting in New York City. 
Charlie is now one of the Sommeliers with the Post Oak Cellar/Mastro's for the Landry's corporation in Houston, Texas, with renowned Master Sommelier Keith Goldston.