Alexander LaPratt

The Path

The floor is where wine service is tested, and Alexander LaPratt started there, learning the pace of a room, the timing of a pour, and the practical side of guest expectations. He served as sommelier at Morels a Michigan Bistro in Bingham Farms, Michigan, then moved to the role of Dining Room Captain at Saltwater and Bourbon Steak in Detroit, Michigan. Those early posts kept him close to the daily mechanics of hospitality, where wine service depends on timing, confidence, and the precision that keeps service moving. He later briefly crossed into the kitchen as kitchen staff (temporary switch from front of house) at Tribute, a move that broadened his view of the work behind the pass and the demands that support polished service. From there, he sharpened his cellar expertise as Cellar Sommelier at The French Laundry in Yountville, California (until 2009), a period that added practical rigor to his wine knowledge and the discipline required to steward a serious cellar. In 2009, Alexander became Head Sommelier at DB Bistro Moderne in New York, New York, taking on one of the city’s high-profile dining rooms with the responsibilities that come with leading a wine program at that level. He later went on to serve as sommelier at Le Bernardin in New York, New York, and Chef Sommelier at Jean-Georges in New York, New York, working in rooms where exacting standards are the baseline. Today, his work spans ownership and education: he is owner of Atrium DUMBO, owner of Beasts & Bottles, and Guest Lecturer, Intensive Sommelier Training of Institute of Culinary Education.

The Work Today

His work today centers on leadership and teaching, two roles that ask for different skills but share the same job: turning experience into clear guidance for others. By 2013, he was Beverage Director at Atrium DUMBO in Brooklyn, overseeing a wine program that calls for both polish and personality. The title is managerial, but the work is more granular—building coherence, setting standards, and shaping confidence around the table. He also serves as a Guest Lecturer for Intensive Sommelier Training at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, where his experience is carried into the classroom for the next generation of wine professionals. In that setting, his career reads as a working curriculum: dining room to cellar, bistro to fine dining, city pace measured against the language of wine. As a teacher, he draws on experience across service and understands how much hospitality depends on judgment, memory, and staying composed while the room is in motion.

Career - Owner — Atrium DUMBO, Brooklyn, New York - Owner — Beasts & Bottles, Brooklyn, New York - Guest Lecturer, Intensive Sommelier Training — Institute of Culinary Education - Sommelier — Morels a Michigan Bistro, Bingham Farms, Michigan - Dining Room Captain — Saltwater and Bourbon Steak, Detroit, Michigan - Kitchen staff (temporary switch from front of house) — Tribute - Cellar Sommelier — The French Laundry, Yountville, California (until 2009) - Head Sommelier — DB Bistro Moderne, New York, New York (from 2009) - Sommelier — Le Bernardin, New York, New York - Chef Sommelier — Jean-Georges, New York, New York

Acclaim

Alexander's honors include Best Sommelier in America (2011), Chaine des Rôtisseurs Best Young Sommelier National Finals, Second Place, Best New Sommelier (2011), and New York Ruinart Chardonnay Challenge, First Place. Together, these recognitions point to a career built on disciplined tasting, composure under pressure, and steady work in demanding rooms wh