John Jansma Joins Natirar as Wine Director
10/17/2017
Peapack-Gladstone, N.J. Oct. 17, 2017 – Award-winning sommelier John Jansma has been appointed Wine Director of Natirar. He joins the acclaimed culinary team that comprises Ninety Acres, Natirar Cooking School and The Farm at Natirar – the triumvirate that has made Natirar a celebrated and enduring culinary destination.
“John joins us at a seminal time as we evolve Natirar’s well regarded wine program to appeal to an ever-broader audience,” says Founder Bob Wojtowicz, referring to a master plan that encompasses the recently reopened Mansion at Natirar as well as additional components to come. “We are excited to have someone with John’s talent, creativity and expertise as we take Natirar’s beverage program to the next level and continue to develop Natirar into a world class travel destination.”
Certified by the Sommelier Society of America, Jansma has received -- for himself and for his establishments -- many awards, including Wine Spectator, DiRoNA, OpenTable.com Diner’s Choice, and the AAA Four Diamond Award. He was named Iron Shaker NJ Champion in 2014.
For the past six years, Jansma has served as General Manager and Sommelier of Restaurant Serenade in Chatham, offering highly rated contemporary French cuisine with a wine portfolio focused on Burgundy, Oregon and Northern Italian wines. While there, he made tasting menus, wine tastings, classes and wine dinners part of the restaurant’s robust ongoing offerings.
Prior to that, Jansma was Restaurant Manager and Sommelier for three years at Ram’s Head Inn in Galloway, where he matched the restaurant’s menu of contemporary American specialties with a diverse and evolving wine portfolio averaging 800 selections ranging from cult California wines to classic growths of Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Earlier in his career, Jansma spent three years in the role of Captain at Tavistock Country Club in Haddonfield.
The U.K. native says that he found his passion for hospitality by assisting his mother in entertaining guests at the Vicarage where is father served as minister.
Since its December 2009 opening, Ninety Acres, helmed by Executive Chef David C. Felton, has become one of the most sought-after and best-reviewed dining experiences in New Jersey. The 135-seat restaurant, located in a restored carriage house on the historic grounds transcends the farm-to-table dining movement by offering guests an authentic Table at the Farm culinary journey. Private events are held in the restaurant and adjacent Mansion as well as in the Cooking School and throughout Natirar’s expansive grounds.
Jansma can be reached at 908.901.4712; email jjansma@natirar.com His instagram handle is @johnjansma; Twitter @johnjansma1
About Natirar
Natirar is one of the country’s most bucolic retreats, formerly owned by the King of Morocco, and set on a 500-acre estate in New Jersey’s Somerset Hills. It is a public private partnership between Somerset County and Robert Wojtowicz, Natirar’s founder. In 2017 a comprehensive renovation to the historic Natirar Mansion was completed, including restoration to the 1912 Tudor and the addition of a new Grand Ballroom, ideal for galas, weddings and exclusive meetings. Natirar already boasts one of New Jersey’s most acclaimed restaurants, Ninety Acres, built in the estate’s restored carriage house, which includes a cooking school, a private club and a 12-acre farm. Secluded, yet easily accessible, the Natirar estate is less than an hour from New York City and 90 minutes from Philadelphia. www.natirar.com
Contacts
Patricia Nugent
Eric Mower + Associates
pnugent@mower.com
212-284-9935