Damien Casten

Damien Casten began his career in food and wine fifteen years ago when he traded a corporate job in the south of France for kitchens at the New England Culinary Institute.  On graduation he returned to France for two years, earning a spot on the brigade at Chef Alain Senderens' Michelin three starred Lucas Carton.  Away from the restaurant he immersed himself in wine, apprenticing at one of Paris best independent wine shops, Les Ultra Vins and visiting producers in wine regions across France on a regular basis.

After a few years working as a professional chef, Damien's passion for wine won out.  On returning to the United States after six years in France, Damien co-founded Candid Wines, an importer and distributor of small production, organic and biodynamic wines in Chicago in 2005. 

Today, after ten years in business, Candid Wines can be found on the lists of most every major restaurant in Chicago as well as on the shelves of the area's best retailers.  While rooted in France thanks to Damien's experience there, the company has grown to include selections from regions across Germany, Italy, Austria, New Zealand, and the US, as well as a few remarkable selections from Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia.   

While working harvest in 2006 at the Scherrer Winery in Sonoma, Damien realized that he couldn't write fast enough to collect all of the lessons he was learning from Fred Scherrer.  The first recorded videos for Ask a Winemaker date to that period, though they were intended only for internal use.  Today, Ask a Winemaker boasts more than 700 short videos, professionally shot and edited by Damien Casten and Sean Berrigner with clips from all over the world including stops in Oregon with the International Pinot Noir Celebration and Germany with Wines of Germany as well as everywhere that Candid Wines takes Damien.