Helen Johannesen

She/her/hers

Years of Participation

2023

Helen was born in New York City. She started working in the restaurant industry while in college in Madison, WI. Her involvement at L’Etoile and the fine dining and farm-to-table driven experience inspired her to continue growing in the food and wine industry. She moved to Los Angeles and worked at Craft as a manager for two years before signing on with Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo in July of 2009. She is now a partner at Jon & Vinny’s in Los Angeles, and the owner of Helen’s, the gem box retail wine shop nestled in the back. Helen is the Beverage Director for not only Jon & Vinny’s, but for all associated restaurants in the group: animal and Son of a Gun. She also hosts wine classes and has a curated wine club, and was recently titled Best New Sommelier by Food & Wine in 2016.