At the heart of Kendall-Jackson's Culinary Services is recipe development and culinary research, a luxury that is made possible by Jess Jackson and his family's commitment to promoting the marriage of wine with food. See Our Chefs' Recipe of the Month.

Justin Wangler - Executive Chef
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates

Under Justin's direction, Kendall-Jackson has taken "wine country" cuisine to a new level. Given Sonoma County's choice of abundant farm-fresh meats and produce, it's easy to understand Justin's enthusiasm for creating memorable combinations of textures and flavors.

"For a chef, the idea of having access to Kendall-Jackson's world-class wines and a superb culinary garden is a dream come true," says Justin, who joined Kendall-Jackson in 2005.


Justin's Personal Favorites:
  • Favorite Wine & Food Pairing: I really enjoy Chef Douglas Keane's Thai Marinated Lobster paired with Riesling at Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg, CA. Another favorite is Chef Jeff Mall's Green Chili paired with Sauvignon Blanc at Zin restaurant, also in Healdsburg.
  • Favorite Wine to Take to a Dinner Party: Pinot Noir - it's light, easy and complements a variety of foods.
  • Favorite Recipe Creation (so far): Carmody grilled cheese with Serrano ham and homemade apple butter.
  • Favorite Wine Event: I really enjoy the Tomato Festival; it benefits the school garden network which is a great cause, it also makes for a wonderful day. The Aspen Food and Wine Festival is a lot of fun, and in a beautiful location. There are tons of things to see and taste there.
  • Favorite Utensil/Cooking item: I have always loved the Cameron stovetop smoker; I use it at home as well as in the professional kitchen. We recently added a Henny-Penny Combi smart oven to our kitchen at the Wine Center. It is truly amazing - it steams, roasts and has all the bells and whistles.
  • Favorite Ingredients: Spices such as Sumac and Hibiscus work well with light red wines. I love verjus which makes amazing sauces and vinaigrettes. It's made from under-ripe grapes and can be used in place of vinegar. Meyer Lemons add sweet citrus to freshen up dishes for Chardonnay and Sauvingon Blanc. Pomegranate molasses is one of my favorites - sweet and sour and amazing for fruit-forward red wines. Pork products such as chorizo, Serrano, Smithfield ham.
Chef's Biography: Justin grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, where he began working in restaurants before attending A.B. Tech Culinary School. During his culinary school training, he participated in several American Culinary Federation Hot Food Competitions on a regional and national level, winning gold medals on several occasions. Justin came west and took a job at Napa Valley's Culinary Institute of America in 1999, followed by Saddleback Cellars and Santa Rosa's Syrah Restaurant before joining the Kendall-Jackson Culinary Team.

For the daily food creations at Kendall-Jackson, Justin finds a tremendous amount of inspiration and ingredients from the winery's 2 ½-acre culinary sensory gardens and local food producers.

Andrei Litvinenko - Chef
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates

Andrei's Personal Favorites:
  • Favorite Wine & Food Pairing: Zinfandel with Chili Colorado
  • Favorite Wine to Take to a Dinner Party: Highland Estates Alisos Hills Syrah
  • Favorite Recipe Creation (to date): Curried Kabocha Squash Soup w/ Gala Apples and Dungeness Crab
  • Favorite Wine Event: Heirloom Tomato Festival
  • Favorite Ingredient/utensils: Bacon, Cured Meats, Charcuterie. On the tools side, I love using a smoker.
    • Chef's Biography: A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Andrei was born and raised in San Francisco in a Russian immigrant family. He grew up working in the family restaurant where he learned to appreciate eastern European cuisine, and grew to love cooking. Holidays were an especially exciting time when the family table would be covered with dozens of homemade pastries and traditional ethnic dishes.

    Andrei spent a year cooking in Maui before returning to Northern California. When not in the kitchen, Andrei enjoys fishing, hunting, gardening and foraging for local wild mushrooms. He loves the freedom of creating new dishes using local ingredients.

    Matthew Lowe - Chef
    Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates

    Matthew's Personal Favorites:
  • Favorite Wine & Food Pairing: Scallops and Chardonnay. I like the way it travels through the seasons. I pair scallops with fennel and citrus in the winter, corn and heirloom tomatoes in the summer.
  • Favorite Wine to Take to a Dinner Party: Camelot Highlands Chardonnay. People who usually don't like Chardonnay seem surprised by this wine. It has a nice acidity that makes it a really food-friendly wine.
  • Favorite Recipe: Caesar Salad. Classics never go out of style.
  • Favorite Wine Event: You mean besides the Heirloom Tomato Festival? I love our wine club events like Harvest Moon and the annual BBQ. Our wine club members are a really fun bunch!


    • Chef's Biography: A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America Matthew has worked in the kitchen, gardens and cellars of Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates for nearly a decade. He brings to the table a wide variety of cooking experience from restaurants, healthcare, catering and corporate dining. Matthew specializes in vegetable dishes and the Kendall-Jackson culinary gardens offer an endless palette of seasonal produce and herbs to draw from.

    Ryan Pollnow - Pastry Chef
    Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates

    Ryan's Personal Favorites:
  • Favorite Wine & Food Pairing: Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay with a Lobster roll at Warren's Lobster House in Kittery, Maine.
  • Favorite Wine to Take to a Dinner Party: I like to bring the Chardonnay and Meritage from our Vintner's Reserve collection - they are so food-friendly, but also drink very well on their own.
  • Favorite Recipe: Chef Tara Wachtel created a fabulous Caramel Nut Tart that I loved - sweet, addicting and delicious.
  • Favorite Wine Event: Aspen Food & Wine Classic, because it brings world class wine and America's best chefs together in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
  • Favorite Ingredient or Utensil/Cooking item: I love to use both wild and cultivated herbs and flowers from the Kendall-Jackson property.


    • Chef's Biography: While attending the School of Culinary Arts at Santa Rosa Junior College, Ryan Pollnow was introduced to the delectable combination of "wine country cuisine" and classic French cooking techniques. For Ryan, a California native, it was sensory love at first taste.

    After three years of working in Sonoma County restaurants, Ryan went overseas to Spain, where he worked at several culinary destinations, including Mugaritz, a Michelin two-star restaurant outside of San Sebastian.

    Returning to California, Ryan worked as sous-chef at Mecca Restaurant in San Francisco. After that, Ryan spent time tasting through restaurants in France before returning to work in California, ultimately landing at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center in early 2007.