Jeffrey Birkemeier has over 15 years of experience in the restaurant and wine industries. He is currently the Beverage Director, Assistant Manager, and Sommelier at Casanova Restaurant in Carmel, CA, where he manages a $2.4M annual beverage program. Previously, he was Beverage Director at La Bicyclette Restaurant, also in Carmel, CA, managing a $750K beverage program. He has also held roles as Wine Buyer and Education Director at The Wine Merchant in St. Louis, MO, and Sommelier at Café Napoli in St. Louis. Birkemeier holds several certifications in wine including Certified Sommelier from the Court of Sommeliers and Cert

1. Jeffrey Birkemeier C.W.E.
(314)-368-6357
jbirkemeier@gmail.com
EXPERIENCE
CASANOVA RESTAURANT Carmel, CA 2010-Present
Beverage Director, Assistant Manager, Sommelier, Maitre ‘d, Cheese monger
• Managed beverage programs with $2.4M in annual beverage sales.
• Sales, margins and percentage of total restaurant sales grew every year during my tenure.
• Purchased all beverages, focusing on boutique producers.
• Designed inventory database to manage 15,000 bottles on mobile devices using FileMaker Pro
• Typeset the 125-page wine list as a comprehensive tour of the top wines all over the world.
• Created staff education material and conducted seminars for beverages and cheeses.
• Paired wines from throughout the world with French, Italian and California cuisine.
• Supervised nightly operations of the restaurant.
• Created content for YouTube, Delectable and Twitter.
• Selected local cheeses and trained staff to cut, wrap and sell them.
LA BICYCLETTE RESTAURANT Carmel, CA 2012 - 2015
Beverage Director
• Managed beverage programs with $750K in annual beverage sales.
• Sales, margins and percentage of total restaurant sales grew every year during my tenure.
• Purchased all beverages, focusing on boutique producers.
• Typeset wine lists based on the flavor profile and structure of the selections.
• Created staff education material and conducted seminars for wine.
THE WINE MERCHANT, LTD. St. Louis, MO 2006 - 2009
Wine Buyer, Assistant Store Manager, Education Director
• Recommended fine wine and cheese.
• Supervised daily operations of the store.
• Purchased wines and spirits.
• Educated the retail staff on wine, spirits and beer.
• Designed and implemented customer classes.
• Conducted private tastings at residences and businesses.
CAFÉ NAPOLI St. Louis, MO 2004 - 2006
Sommelier, Server, Bartender
• Educated the restaurant staff on wine and spirits.
• Conducted weekly inventory and updated wine list changes.
CERTIFICATIONS & AWARDS
• Certified Sommelier, Court of Sommeliers 2006
• Certified Specialist of Wine, Society of Wine Educators 2007
• Certified Wine Educator, Society of Wine Educators 2008
• Advanced Sommelier, Court of Sommeliers 2011
• James Beard Award Semifinalist for Outstanding Wine Program 2015