With a resume that includes stints at top restaurants like Le Cirque, Oceana and Jean-Georges, this native New Yorker refused to let a devastating accident destroy his dreams. Paralyzed from the waist down in 2003, he outfitted a wheelchair with a custom table that enables him to provide sommelier service at the University Club (he’s also a lead lecturer during Saturday seminars at Le Du’s Wines). In 2012, Benjamin co-founded Wheeling Forward, which “steps in to help recently disabled people who lack a support system,” he says. A related initiative, Wine on Wheels, is focused on events that raise funds and awareness to aid employment for the disabled in the wine industry.