Originally from Castleton, Vermont, Eli started his career in music, studying opera at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He performed throughout the country for five years after graduating in 2008. Like many in the arts world, when not performing, he worked in the restaurant business, eventually landing at Balthazar in lower Manhattan. Eli and his wife Shelly relocated to Seattle in 2013, where his professional interest in the wine business blossomed. He worked for Heavy Restaurant Group as a server, bartender, sommelier and later Assistant General Manager at Purple Café and Wine Bar. And in the fine tradition of most of our team at Avennia, Eli was our harvest intern for crush in 2017. When he’s not selling wine, you can find him walking around the parks of West Seattle, cooking with his wife, and making music.