Jhonel Faelnar, 31

Wine Director, Atomix, New York City

Connecting cultures through food and wine

Faelnar challenges American wine orthodoxy with his distinct international perspective. Born and raised in Manila, the multilingual Faelnar honed his palate while working in Japan’s fashion industry. At Atomix, a two-star Michelin restaurant that features Korean-inspired cuisine, Faelnar’s nuanced wine pairings focus on flavor subtleties often dismissed as incongruous with wine. Both in New York and someday in the Philippines, his mission is to make wine relatable, he says, not something that is fetishized. “Wine is my bridge to travel and to connect people of different languages, culture and history,” he says.

Instagram: @jhonelfaelnar