A Sonoma County transplant, Ryan started his career in high school at The General’s Daughter. After studying and working in physical therapy, Ryan redirected his career toward his passion for wine and continued his formal education at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena. While in school, he fine-tuned his skills as a sommelier at the Michelin-starred and James Beard-nominated restaurant The Kitchen in Sacramento. Following his time at CIA, Ryan pursued certifications in wine, beer, and sake.
In 2013, Ryan joined the team at NoMad in New York City, quickly rising to Head Sommelier. In 2017, after working a harvest overseas, he relocated to Los Angeles, where he built the world’s largest Champagne list at their new location. In addition to working the floor, Ryan wrote educational pieces for several industry publications, including Plate Magazine and the newly launched global app, Star Wine List. He was named Wine & Spirits Magazine's Best New Sommelier and represented the USA in the 2019 Copa Jerez International Sherry Competition.
In partnership with the design firm Klein Agency, Ryan founded Portae, a company focusing on customizable service-related smallwares and the first-ever three-format wine cradle. In late 2018, he partnered with close friend Chef Jon Yao to launch Like Water Hospitality and reopen the Michelin-starred Taiwanese restaurant KATO in the Arts District of Los Angeles. Since its reopening, KATO has continued to receive a Michelin Star, was named Los Angeles Times's #1 restaurant twice in a row, garnered numerous beverage awards, including Michelin’s Exceptional Cocktails award, and was named a “One to Watch” in the 2024 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
In addition to building out Los Angeles's largest wine program, with roughly 3,000 selections, Ryan handles all operations, design, and, along with his management team, leads nightly service. In 2019, he began producing KATO’s own wine with local winemaker Mike Lucia of Rootdown. The wine is an ouillé bottling from one of the first plantings of Savagnin in the US from Mike’s historic, high-elevation vineyard, Cole Ranch. 2024 marks their fourth successful vintage, and this past year they began producing single-vineyard, single-vintage Riesling Verjus.
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