Growing up Joshua Dunson liked three things: watching his mom cook in the kitchen, eating, and watching The Food Network. So after high school, he headed to the New York Culinary Institute of America in New York with plans to be a chef … then he took a course in wine studies out in Napa, Calif. “And that was the seed right there,” Dunson says. He switched from chef studies to wine studies and today, nearly a decade later, he’s the head sommelier at Ocean Prime Las Vegas at 63 CityCenter.
He’s been with Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, owners of Ocean Prime and its multiple locations across the country, for most of that decade, starting out bartending and serving in one of the Ohio outposts before moving to the corporate side to oversee the wine programs. When Dunson came out to Vegas to help launch the location in 2023, he realized he wanted to get back to the restaurant floor, engaging guests in all things wine.
“I love people and connecting,” Dunson says. “You get to see people’s true selves come out when they’re eating and drinking, and I get to help curate that and curate the experience. I get to train staff and open their world to wine. It’s really a beautiful industry and I can’t see myself doing anything else.
“A good somm is going to ask thoughtful questions because they want you to enjoy your experience. It shouldn’t be about the price point it should be about three things, ‘What are you looking for? What do you enjoy? And how can we curate that for you?’”
63 CityCenter. ocean-prime.com
Photo by: Christopher DeVargas
Libation: Trimbach Riesling Frédéric Emile 2015
Dunson’s favorite wines come from Alsace, France. So, he chose to highlight a delicious wine from that region, the Trimbach Riesling Frédéric Emile 2015, a dry Riesling available by the glass and bottle.
Benefit: Ocean Prime offers a three-course lunch for $45; selections range from the lobster bisque to blackened snapper.
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