Culinary Team
Meet Our Culinary Team
Taste is everything here at Kendall-Jackson. And we don't just mean the wines. The Kendall-Jackson Wine Center is a culinary destination for foodies and wine lovers from all over the country, and the creative force behind the Wine Center is our team of culinary adventurers: our chefs.
Justin Wangler - Executive Chef
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
Under Justin's direction, Kendall-Jackson has taken "wine country" cuisine to a new level. Given Sonoma County's choice of abundant farm-fresh meats and produce, it's easy to understand his enthusiasm for creating memorable combinations of textures and flavors. For the daily food creations at Kendall-Jackson, Justin finds a tremendous amount of inspiration and ingredients from the wine center's 2 1/2-acre culinary sensory gardens and local food producers.
"For a chef, the idea of having access to Kendall-Jackson's world-class wines and a superb culinary garden is a dream come true," says Justin, who joined Kendall-Jackson in 2005.
- Favorite Ingredients: Spices such as Sumac and Hibiscus work well with light red wines. I love verjus which makes amazing sauces and vinaigrettes. It's made from under-ripe grapes and can be used in place of vinegar. Meyer Lemons add sweet citrus to freshen up dishes for Chardonnay and Sauvingon Blanc. Pomegranate molasses is one of my favorites - sweet and sour and amazing for fruit-forward red wines. Pork products such as chorizo, Serrano, Smithfield ham.
Chef's Biography: Justin grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, where he began working in restaurants before attending A.B. Tech Culinary School. During his culinary school training, he participated in several American Culinary Federation Hot Food Competitions on a regional and national level, winning gold medals on several occasions. Justin came west and took a job at Napa Valley's Culinary Institute of America in 1999, followed by Saddleback Cellars and Santa Rosa's Syrah Restaurant before joining the Kendall-Jackson Culinary Team.
Andrei Litvinenko - Chef
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
- Favorite Wine & Food Pairing: Zinfandel with Chili Colorado
Chef's Biography: A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Andrei was born and raised in San Francisco in a Russian immigrant family. He grew up working in the family restaurant where he learned to appreciate eastern European cuisine, and grew to love cooking. Holidays were an especially exciting time when the family table would be covered with dozens of homemade pastries and traditional ethnic dishes.
Andrei spent a year cooking in Maui before returning to Northern California. When not in the kitchen, Andrei enjoys fishing, hunting, gardening and foraging for local wild mushrooms. He loves the freedom of creating new dishes using local ingredients.
Matthew Lowe - Chef
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
- Favorite Wine to Take to a Dinner Party: Camelot Vineyard, Highland Estates Chardonnay. People who usually don't like Chardonnay seem surprised by this wine. It has a nice acidity that makes it a really food-friendly wine.
Chef's Biography: A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America Matthew has worked in the kitchen, gardens and cellars of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates for nearly a decade. He brings to the table a wide variety of cooking experience from restaurants, healthcare, catering and corporate dining. Matthew specializes in vegetable dishes and the Kendall-Jackson culinary gardens offer an endless palette of seasonal produce and herbs to draw from.
Eric Frischkorn - Chef
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
- Most Popular Recipe Contribution: Eric has contributed a number of inventive and inspired recipes to our collection, but perhaps none so popular as Mama Frischkorn's Double Gold Caramel Corn. Possibly our most requested recipe, this sweetly addictive treat stars in our Dessert Pairing alongside the Late Harvest Chardonnay.
Chef's Biography: After graduating from the International Culinary Academy in Pittsburgh, Eric began his internship in the classical French Kitchen at the Morris Inn in Notre Dame, Indiana. He moved west to Lake Tahoe, where he worked as a chef de partie and then migrated further west to Sonoma County, where he worked as sous-chef at the Madrona Manor under Michelin-star chef Jesse Malgren. While working at the Madrona Manor, Eric was inspired to travel to Europe and explore the continent's varied cuisines. In Europe, Eric spent time in the kitchens of the Fat Duck in England and Oud Sluis in the Netherlands, both world-renowned three Michelin-star restaurants. He traveled throughout France, Spain and Italy, dining at top restaurants and visiting culinary capitals such Lyon, San Sebastian, and Emilia-Romagna. Upon returning to California, Eric began working with longtime friend Justin Wangler. At K-J, Eric has had the opportunity to work with the seasonal culinary gardens, develop a bread program, and learn the intricacies of food and wine pairing.
Tracey Shepos Cenami – Chef / Cheese Specialist
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates
- Favorite Cheese: Whatever is currently featured on the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center Wine & Cheese Pairing, of course!
Chef's Biography: By age 10, Tracey Shepos had sampled foie gras and frogs legs, and already knew what kind of caviar she preferred. With a degree from San Francisco's California Culinary Academy, she worked her way up to lead line cook at Faultline Brewing company, helped open Helena's in New York and worked under Chef Michael Romano at Union Square Café for two years. After acting as a consulting chef and running her own catering business, Shepos helped open the popular Willi's Wine Bar in Santa Rosa continuing with the successful Stark Reality as Executive Chef de Cuisine. In 2009, she became a certified Artisan Cheesemaker and, today, is in charge of our Wine & Cheese pairing program.
