John Ragan
Vice President of Operations
Born and raised in Kansas City, MO, John developed a passion for hospitality at a young age while working in restaurants throughout high school and college. While pursuing a graduate degree in urban planning at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, John visited California’s wine country, where he realized he wanted to pursue a career in hospitality. He relocated to Napa to pursue this passion, working as a sommelier at local restaurants. John then relocated to San Francisco to become the sommelier at the acclaimed Campton Place, which received four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle during his time there.
After three years at Campton Place, John moved to New York City in 2006 to become Wine Director of Eleven Madison Park. During the five years that John spent at Eleven Madison Park, the restaurant earned four stars from The New York Times and was awarded three Michelin stars. John and Eleven Madison Park also won a James Beard Foundation Award for “Outstanding Wine Service,” and were awarded a Grand Award from Wine Spectator. In 2012, John became a member of the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers, an honor held by very few individuals worldwide; in 2014, he joined the Court’s exam committee, in which capacity he contributes to the development of the Master Sommelier exams.
In his current role as Vice President of Operations, John supports all new business openings and oversees USHG’s award-winning wine programs and private dining room teams. Most recently, he has focused on the successful opening of Manhatta, USHG’s restaurant perched sixty stories above Lower Manhattan.