Other
André Hueston Mack
Sommelier
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Training and Lineage
Service training is a trade foundation before it is a credential. André Hueston Mack entered that side of the house as a dishwasher at Darden Restaurants, then moved into the role of Corporate Service Trainer, work that put repetition, standards, and guest-facing discipline before any formal wine post. The sommelier station demands product knowledge, tableside reading, and a cellar vocabulary that can be used under service pressure. At The Palm in San Antonio, Mack worked as a sommelier; at Bohanan's, also in San Antonio, he became the Founding Sommelier, building that role within the restaurant rather than inheriting it fully formed. Fine-dining wine service tightened the frame. The French Laundry in Yountville brought Mack into a California dining room with a serious wine program, followed by New York City, where he served as Head Sommelier at Per Se. The progression tracks the craft from service systems to cellar work to leadership on the floor. Wine entrepreneurship became the next application of that training. In 2007, Mack founded Maison Noir Wines, carrying restaurant-floor knowledge into a producer-facing brand. In 2020, he launched & Sons Ham Bar, extending the same service and product sensibility into a Brooklyn restaurant format.
The Work Today
The restaurant, established in Oregon in 2007, sits at the intersection of label, bottle, and guest education. Mack’s work as an author and host for Bon Appetit extends that same register outside the dining room: explaining wine in usable terms, reducing gatekeeping, and keeping the conversation close to how people actually buy, pour, and drink.
Signature
Wine focus: O.P.P, Love Drunk, and Bottoms Up.
Recognition
André Hueston Mack has received Best Young Sommelier in America by the Chaine des Rotisseurs (2003). Trade recognition in wine often marks both technical fluency and the ability to perform under scrutiny. Mack received the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Young Sommeliers Competition in 2003 and the 40-Under-Forty Achievement Award in 2007. The through-line is service applied across formats: restaurant floor, wine list, bottle label, education, and ownership. Mack’s record is less a departure from hospitality than a set of extensions from it.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of André
Where did André Hueston Mack work before?
Earlier in their career, André Hueston Mack worked at Darden Restaurants, Darden Restaurants, and The Palm.
What recognition has André Hueston Mack received?
40-Under-Forty Achievement Award (2007).
