Sommelier
Gareth Tootell
- Discipline
- Sommelier
i. Biography
Manchester, England, is Gareth Tootell’s starting point, but the work itself moves fast into a trade where timing, composure, and control of service matter as much as the list. With Sheffield Hallam University in his background, he built a path through rooms that ask for both leadership and wine knowledge, adding range through The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and The French Laundry in Yountville before reaching Restaurant Associates, where he became Regional Director by 2025.
Coming Up
Sheffield Hallam University sits at the start of Gareth Tootell’s training, before the work of service pulled him into rooms that reward steadiness under pressure. In 2016, he joined The French Laundry in Napa, California, as sommelier, a role that placed wine service inside the daily mechanics of precision, pace, and guest reading. He then moved to General Manager at The Broadmoor, where the remit widened from the cellar to the full shape of the room. That shift was less a change of direction than an expansion of scope. Tasting, timing, and reading the room remain the core skills running through that progression, and they carry into his current advisory work. Since 2019, Gareth has been consultant of Churchill's Gastropub and 10 Downing, bringing earlier front-of-house discipline into a role built around standards, team guidance, and consistency.
Where They Are Now
In 2025, Gareth Tootell took on the role of Regional Director at Restaurant Associates, moving into oversight at a wider scale. The position pulls together the practical knowledge of service, wine, and leadership earned across earlier rooms and applies it across a broader set of operations. Taken together, the two current roles show a working shift from single-room execution to regional responsibility. One is advisory, the other managerial at scale, but both depend on the same habits: attention to detail, clear standards, and an understanding of how good hospitality is built in practice.
Career - Consultant — Churchill's Gastropub and 10 Downing, Savannah, Georgia (2019–present) - Sommelier — The French Laundry, Napa, California (from 2016) - General Manager — The Broadmoor Education: Sheffield Hallam University
FAQ What is Gareth Tootell's current role? As of 2026, Gareth Tootell is Regional Director. Where did Gareth Tootell train or study? Gareth Tootell trained at Sheffield Hallam University.
