Chris was raised in a family that valued passion. His mother encouraged him to always focus his time and energy on things that he loved in life. He became engrossed in acting and music – creativity and passion were the foundation of daily life.  He spent most of his early days playing jazz trumpet, then he discovered wine.
Chris’s philosophy toward wine and wine pairing is creative, flexible, and unpretentious. He strongly believes that enjoying wine should be approached with an open mind and that the “rules” of wine pairing are not set in stone. His goal is for each table to leave the dining experience with something more than they expected. “The Sommelier must be approachable as well as deeply knowledgeable to join the customer in creating their dining experience.”
Chris joined Aqua as the Beverage Director in late 2006. Chris will strive to expand Aqua’s world-class wine cellar with his unique and imaginative selections to pair with Chef Manrique’s food.  As Chris builds his team at Aqua with his unpretentious style, he uses his innate jazz instincts to bring all the components of the dining experience together.