John Miller grew up in wildlife conservation land in the northeastern reaches of South Dakota. It therefore comes as no surprise that he has found his way to the remote enclave of Elk on California’s Mendocino coast. 

John first fell in love with fine dining while at culinary school. Setting out to Minneapolis in 2010 right after high school, he enrolled in the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts program. This led to his first stage at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, followed by an externship at Chef Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York, and then to Keller’s west coast outposts Ad Hoc and Bouchon in the Napa Valley. Surrounded by some of the best wines in the world, John developed an appreciation and curiosity for wine that then led him to complete the Wine and Beverage program at the CIA at Greystone in St. Helena, California.

Upon graduation, John accepted a sommelier position at Lysverket in Berger, Norway where he spent almost three years immersed in “neo-fjordic” cuisine, the term coined by Chef Christopher Haatuft to describe his style of cooking. “We would go scallop and urchin diving and learn how to make smoked salmon using ancient techniques. We foraged for herbs and even brewed beer in special kettles,” he recalls.

John returned to California’s Sonoma wine region as part of the opening team as Sommelier at Chef Kyle and Katina Connaughton’s SingleThread, where under Wine Director Evan Hufford, he helped build, develop and maintain its 1000 bottle wine list. He went on to explore the vibrant restaurant scene in New York City and run the beverage program for the Seattle-based Thompson Hotel Group.

These experiences primed John for his current role as Wine & Beverage Director at The Harbor House Inn in Elk, California, in the heart of the Mendocino wine region. “It’s an amazing place to be,” he says. “I used to come up here on my days off and have picnics along the coast. Now I work here—it’s incredible.”