Meet Our Cru

We welcome all to our Cru – friends, family, lovers of wine and food. Join our community of all backgrounds, life stories, talents and tastes and let’s enjoy the finest of Napa Valley wines together, AsOne.

Chris Radomski

Christopher Radomski, B.Sc. LL.B., J.D. CEO and Founder
Legends Spirits
Duke Spirits
La Adelita Tequila
As One Cru Wines

Chris was educated in Biology and Law in both the U.S. and Canada prior to embarking on a successful career in International Finance. In the mid 1990s, Radomski co-founded and operated The Hundred Acre Wine Group, an acclaimed Napa Valley based winery which developed a successful portfolio of wines garnering an unprecedented 22 Robert Parker 100 pt. ratings.

Radomski has built a tremendous industry reputation with distributors, writers and critics, and has secured placement in significant national restaurants, groceries and boutique luxury restaurant chains. The success translates to great acceptance and eagerness for the next big release by the trade. Revolutionary, experiential programs like Dining with the Duke and Meeting of the Masters have been developed by Radomski to bring together the best of the best in the wine, food and spirits world. These innovative programs are supported by top Master Sommeliers, renowned James Beard and Michelin Star Chefs and trail blazing mixologists.

He is the Founder and CEO of Legends Spirits, a multi-branded wine and spirits development, sales and marketing company, which produces Duke Kentucky Bourbon and Rye, La Adelita Tequila and As One Cru Wines. Radomski has a proven track record of successful wine and spirits brands, along with unique marketing and development programs to ensure wide stream acclaim.

Darius Rucker

Darius Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their Double Diamond-certified (21x Platinum) debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart, including RIAA Platinum-certified Learn to Live and True Believers, plus 10 No. 1 singles at Country radio and 11 Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum certified hits. Rucker was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 2012 and in 2014 he won his third career GRAMMY Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his Diamond-certified (11x Platinum) version of “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top five best-selling Country songs of all time. He topped the charts at Country radio once again with “Beers And Sunshine” in 2021 and his latest single, “Fires Don’t Start Themselves” off brand-new album Carolyn’s Boy is available everywhere now.

As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker co-chaired the capital campaign that generated $150 million to help build the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, S.C. and has raised over $4.3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament. In addition, Rucker has advocated for over 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and serves as a National Chair for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tenn. Rucker is also an avid sports fan, with his Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics apparel line available at Fanatics.com, and he is part of the Music City Baseball investment group working to bring an MLB team to Tennessee in addition to serving as a partner at the MGC Sports & Entertainment agency.

Chef Matt Zubrod

Matt Zubrod joined The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado, in April 2015, as Executive Chef. In 2019, he was promoted to Culinary Director of The Little Nell, overseeing all culinary operations for the hotel’s restaurants, private Aspen Mountain Club, banquets and in-room dining.

Matt began his career with The Ritz-Carlton, initially working in Aspen, Naples and Boston before moving on to the historic Hotel del Coronado in San Diego as Executive Sous-Chef. In 1999, he took over The Vail Cascade Resort as Executive Chef and opened The Ritz-Carlton, Aspen Highlands as Executive Chef in 2001. As a departure from the corporate world, he branched out into the independent restaurant scene to open Dish Aspen as Executive Chef and Managing Partner. He next moved to Hawaii where he opened Monette’s at Mauna Kea Resort, which he ran for several years. A short stopover in California at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa brought Matt, his wife, Denise, and their children, Bode and Finn, back to the mainland. In 2013, they returned to Aspen where he served as Executive Chef at BB’s Kitchen until joining The Little Nell. He also has a daughter named Christina.

The hotel’s signature restaurant, Element 47, has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation, nominated several times for Outstanding Wine Program. Wine Director Chris Dunaway manages this program and its cellar 20,000-bottles deep with a focus on Burgundian wines though the breadth of the collection is worldwide. Executive Sous-Chef Oscar Carrasco takes pride in the menu based on locally sourced ingredients. Element 47 has been a Grand Award winner by Wine Spectator since 1997 and been named by Wine Enthusiast as a Top 100 Restaurant since 2011.

In 2018, Matt partnered with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies at Rock Bottom Ranch where herbs, fruits and vegetables are grown and harvested at their mid-valley ranch near Basalt. In just a short time, this project has been met with much success, leading to discussion of expanding the program further throughout The Little Nell.

Matt enjoys spending his free time with his family and also supports the non-profit Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club, whose mission is to provide all youth in the greater Roaring Fork Valley the opportunity to excel as athletes and as people through winter sports.

Tom Ferry

As founder and CEO of Ferry International, the real estate industry’s leading coaching and training company, Tom’s ever-growing influence impacts professionals in a wide variety of ways including rigorous accountability coaching through the popular #TomFerryShow. He delivers free, fresh and relevant real estate tips weekly, leads highly engaging training events, gives legendary keynote speeches and is the author of two best-selling books. Tom has more than 30,000 hours of coaching experience and works daily to help agents and brokers grow a prosperous business while simultaneously balancing — and loving — their personal lives. He is also a highly sought-after and renowned speaker whose charisma and personality have captivated audiences around the world. Tom’s love and passion for life is fueled by a commitment to discipline and holding professionals accountable to fulfill their greatness.

Eli Lippman

Eli is a Southern California native with an in-depth passion for emerging media and technology. He is an executive in the digital media and publishing space, and spends his spare time on a relentless hunt for great food and wine. Eli credits 'The Cru' for awakening his passion in the space, and hopes to share many bottles of cab together.

Michael Roché

As a Napa Valley resident for over 20 years Michael spends his time as a Parent, [Camille, Gabriel & Talia] an Artist, a Coach [Track & Field] and a Creative Director from his home base in Calistoga. Michael holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Design from UC Davis and A Masters Degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley. When he is not busy designing projects for clients he might be spotted working on his golf game. Michael has a passion for all things Food, Wine and Design. He has authored more than a 100 wine labels and is known to frequent both the bottles and the places he has designed. Michael is currently a Founder / Partner in LAB [lifeandbranding] a branding and hospitality agency based out of Northern California.

Russ Courtnall

A current Southern California resident, Russ Courtnall spent 16 years in the NHL playing over 1,000 games in the league. He is happily married to actress Paris Vaughan for over 29 years, and together they share 3 wonderful children, Ally, Lawton and Brooklyn. Russ has been collecting wine since his early 20s and credits his teammates in Montreal for getting him involved in wine. His post-playing days are now spent working in Business Development for Discovery Land Co Real Estate as the head of sales for James Island. In his spare time, he plans the “Courtnall Celebrity Classic” golf tournament to support mental health initiatives in the Victoria, B.C. area.

Raj Sheth

Rahul “Raj” Sheth is an entrepreneur, entertainment executive, and film producer. Sheth is co-founder of Celebrity Standard Consulting and SOTC Multimedia Group, focusing on Film/TV product placement, Entertainment branding, Talent appearances / concerts and more. Raj holds a BSBA and MBA in Finance. Raj helped launch Hard Rock’s Guitar hotel by bringing Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Joe Perry and Joe Manganiello. The grand opening received over 8 billion impressions. Sheth has worked directly with talent ranging from Robert Downey Jr, Nicole Kidman, Will Smith, Ben Affleck, and Denzel Washington - to Robert DeNiro, Samuel L. Jackson, George Clooney, Matt Damon and many more. He has integrated products into 250 properties, including films such as Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame, Bad Boys for Life, and Iron Man 3 - and TV shows such as Blacklist, Parks and Recreation, True Blood, Chicago Med, and many more. Sheth recently co-founded Parking Lot Reverie, a film production company. Of several projects in development, V3 is being co-produced with Infinitum Nihil (Johnny Depp’s company), and Let’s Kill Tony has Alexander Witt (Resident Evil: Apocalypse) on-board to direct.

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