Chef Brandon Carter and Sommelier Libby Burk of Common Thread in Savannah, GA, are the winners of the Copa Jerez USA Finals, presented by the Sherry Council in partnership with StarChefs. The team will represent the United States at Copa Jerez XII in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, in June 2027.
Photos: Alexander Zeren
Chef Brandon Carter and Sommelier Libby Burk of Common Thread in Savannah, GA, are the winners of the Copa Jerez USA Finals, presented by the Sherry Council in partnership with StarChefs. The team will represent the United States at Copa Jerez XII in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, in June 2027.
Three chef and sommelier teams competed on Tuesday, November 3, at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, each presenting a three-course menu with Sherry pairings live to a five-member jury. Carter and Burk’s menu was rooted in the Lowcountry, drawing on the coastal ingredients of Georgia and South Carolina, with Sherry pairings chosen to meet the salinity, toasted flavors, and richness of each dish. They opened with roasted Tybee oysters with oyster butter, country ham, crispy potatoes, and chamomile, paired with La Kika Manzanilla from Bodegas Yuste. Their second course, May River blue crab stew with peanuts, coconut, toasted chiles, charred allium aïoli, basil, and shrimp toast, was paired with Tío Diego Amontillado from Valdespino. They closed with toasted Carolina Gold rice pudding with cultured cream, bitter orange, burnt honey, sea salt, and Ethiopian coffee, paired with Apóstoles from González Byass.
Panel chair Lucas Paya commented: “Congratulations to Common Thread, the winners of the Copa Jerez USA Finals! Chef Brandon Carter and Sommelier Libby Burk brought thoughtful cooking, a deep understanding of Sherry wines, and a wonderful sense of partnership to the table. A well-deserved victory! It was a pleasure to chair the jury and share a memorable day with my fellow judges. Thank you to the organizers for bringing us together, and to Casa Mono and Nudibranch for their creativity, dedication, and spirited performances. The day was a delicious reminder of Sherry’s extraordinary possibilities at the table.”
Casa Mono and Nudibranch also brought creativity and spirited performances to the competition, each pairing their menus with a distinct range of Sherries. Chef Jonathan Melendez and Beverage Director Andrew Bridges of Casa Mono in New York, NY, presented a menu of tuna crudo with ajo blanco and Sherry conserva, duck breast with miel de Jerez and mushroom cream, and goat cheese panna cotta with Sherry-macerated berries and Marcona almonds. Chef Jeffrey Kim and Wine Director Sammi Schachter of Nudibranch in New York, NY, served cured scallop with pine nut milk and pickled grapes, squab with PX Luxardo cherry balsamic and foie gras, and a strawberry rhubarb tart with burnt meringue and black pepper crumble.
The jury included Lucas Paya (Sommelier, Certified Sherry Wine Educator, and Author), Pascaline Lepeltier (Master Sommelier and Owner of Chambers), Eric Bolyard (Chef and Partner of La Compagnie), Scott Carney (Master Sommelier and Director of Wine Education at the Institute of Culinary Education), and Will Blunt (Managing Partner of StarChefs).
Carter and Burk will join teams from seven other countries at the International Grand Final of Copa Jerez XII in June 2027, held as part of the Copa Jerez Forum & Competition, the largest gastronomic congress dedicated to Sherry. The two runner-up teams will each earn a place in the three-day Certified Sherry Wine Educator course in Jerez, with the opportunity to earn the qualification.
FINALIST MENUS
Common Thread | Savannah, GA (Winner) - Chef Brandon Carter and Sommelier Libby Burk
Embered Tybee Oyster, Oyster Butter, Country Ham, Crispy Potatoes, Chamomile paired with Palomino, Bodegas Yuste, La Kika Manzanilla Sherry, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV
May River Blue Crab Stew, Peanuts, Coconut, Toasted Chiles, Charred Allium Aïoli, Basil, Shrimp Toast paired with Palomino, Valdespino, Single Vineyard Tío Diego Amontillado Dry Sherry, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV
Toasted Carolina Gold Rice Pudding, Cultured Cream, Bitter Orange, Burnt Honey, Sea Salt, Ethiopian Coffee paired with Palomino/Pedro Ximénez, González Byass, Apóstoles, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV
Casa Mono | New York, NY - Chef Jonathan Melendez and Beverage Director Andrew Bridges
Tuna Crudo, Ajo Blanco, Sherry Conserva paired with Palomino, Delgado Zuleta, B.Rodríguez La-Cave Manzanilla Barbiana, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV
Duck Breast, Miel de Jerez, Mushroom Cream paired with Palomino, Bodegas Poniente, Amontillado, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV paired with Goat Cheese Panna Cotta, Sherry-Macerated Berries, Marcona Almonds paired with Palomino/Moscatel, Cesar Florido, Cream Cruz Del Mar, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV
Nudibranch | New York, NY - Chef Jeffrey Kim and Wine Director Sammi Schachter
Cured Scallop, Pine Nut Milk, Seaweed, Pickled Grapes, Pickled Alliums, Chive Oil, Shaved Hazelnuts paired with Palomino, Buelan Compañía de Sacas, “Las Canciones No.1 Mirador” Manzanilla, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV
Squab, PX Luxardo Cherry Balsamic au Poivre, Cherry, Sherry Mushroom Purée, Foie Gras, Chives paired with Pedro Ximénez, El Maestro Sierra, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV
Strawberry Rhubarb Tart, Burnt Meringue, Black Pepper Crumble, Olive Oil, Lime paired with Palomino, Lustau Palo Cortado Peninsula, Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Spain, NV
ABOUT COPA JEREZ
Copa Jerez is a biennial international culinary competition organized by the Regulatory Council of the Denominations of Origin “Jerez-Xérès-Sherry” and “Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda” and the Federation of Wineries of the Marco de Jerez (FEDEJEREZ). The competition challenges chef and sommelier teams to explore Sherry’s versatility by creating a three-course menu paired with a range of Sherry wines. Eight countries take part: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each country holds a national final to select its top team, and the finalists then compete on stage at the international final in Jerez.
