This week’s guest on In the Drink  is Jack Mason, Wine Director at Marta. Born and raised in College Station, Texas, Jack Mason began working in local restaurants at a young age and pursued a culinary degree at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Midway through his studies, while fulfilling a wine education requirement, Jack’s interest was sparked and he decided to continue his education with a degree in Hospitality Management at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. There, he met Greg Harrington of Gramercy Cellars, who would become a mentor to him as he became a Teaching Assistant in a wine course and spent summers furthering his education by working in wine shops and restaurants back home. Upon graduating and returning to Texas, Jack spent over two years working as a Sommelier at the Grand Award-winning Pappas Brothers Steakhouse in Houston before moving to New York City in 2013. Jack honed his knowledge and love of Italian wine as a Sommelier at several of Michael White’s Italian restaurants, including Ai Fiori and Marea. All the while, he studied for and passed the Advanced Exam of the Court of Master Sommeliers. In 2014, Jack joined the opening team of Marta as Wine Director, in which capacity he enjoys focusing on wines of southern Italy to complement Chef Nick Anderer’s Roman-influenced menu, and furthering the team’s beverage education. In 2015, Jack passed his final exam and was inducted into the Court of Master Sommeliers; Jack was also included in Forbes’s annual “30 Under 30” list of outstanding young professionals nationwide.

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