Other
Natalie Johnson
Sommelier
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
The Climb
Training at University of Colorado Boulder gave Natalie Johnson a base, but the working education came on the floor and in the bottle list: line cook at Matteo, cook at Co. In New York, NY from 2010, then front-of-house manager / server at Sorella in Lower East Side, New York, NY from 2012–2013. That sequence matters in service work. The line teaches pace and discipline; the dining room teaches timing, language, and how decisions land with guests. Johnson moved through both sides of the operation before settling into beverage leadership, and that breadth shows in the way her career is built. By 2013, the focus had shifted squarely to wine as sommelier at Otto, where tasting, timing, and table talk sit inside the same service rhythm. In 2014, she continued as wine professional at Marta, then from 2015–2016 brought that same work to Frasca in Boulder, Colorado. At each stop, the job was less about display than about control of tempo, attention to detail, and reading a room well enough to shape the night without dragging attention away from the guest. In 2016, Johnson became Wine Director at Loring Place in New York, NY, a role that signals both trust and responsibility: building a list, maintaining standards, and keeping the beverage program aligned with the room. The progression is steady rather than flashy, which is often how durable operators are made. Across the kitchens, dining rooms, and wine programs, she accumulated the practical fluency that now supports her leadership. Today, Natalie is Beverage Director and co-owner of Leon's and Anton's, a role she has held since 2024, continuing a career shaped by service, wine, and the ability to move between front and back of house with equal ease.
Today
In 2024, she took on Beverage Director and co-founder duties at Anton's in New York, while also serving as Beverage Director and co-owner of Leon's and Anton's since 2024. The work now draws on every part of the path that came before it: the pace learned on the line, the service instincts built in the dining room, the bottle knowledge developed as a sommelier, and the broader judgment required of a Wine Director. When Johnson talks about a bottle like "1988 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet with Bertrand de Villaine last night. I mean, wow, such a high privilege. I’m still processing," the point is not theatricality. It is the exact feeling of encountering a bottle that still commands attention, no matter how many years you have been in the trade. That is the center of the work: the ability to keep standards steady while staying alert to the moments that matter. Johnson’s route through University of Colorado Boulder, Matteo, Co. In New York, NY, Sorella in Lower East Side, New York, NY, Otto, Marta, Frasca in Boulder, Colorado, and Loring Place in New York, NY reads as a practical education in hospitality, one room at a time. What it adds up to is a present tense grounded in beverage stewardship and informed by years of service at every level.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Natalie
What is Natalie Johnson's current role?
Where did Natalie Johnson train or study?
Natalie Johnson trained at University of Colorado Boulder.
What recognition has Natalie Johnson received?
New York City Rising Stars Award Winner (2019).
