If the City of Angels were to raise a glass to one person for uplifting its wine scene to ​​venerable status it would be Helen Johnnesen. Since the summer of 2009, Helen has worked alongside chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo in all of their restaurant ventures —  Jon & Vinny’s Animal, Son of a Gun, Petit Trois, Trois Mec, and Kismet to name a few — as the group’s beverage director. When the original Jon & Vinny’s opened in 2015, nestled inside of it was Helen’s Wines, a petite-in-size wine shop with a massive online presence that is a destination all its own. (The following year Helen was named Best New Sommelier by Food & Wine.) Helen is originally from New York City and got her start in the food and wine industry at Wisconsin’s famed ​​L’Etoile. She hosts a podcast all about grapes called Wine Face.