Cristie Norman
Delilah at Wynn Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV
April 2026
Cristie Norman has been working in restaurants since she was 15 years old. Growing up in Valencia, California, she served at local restaurants like Tea Garden and Lucille's Barbecue, but when a steakhouse opened up nearby, she was determined to get a job at the higher-end restaurant—especially since the general manager was a sommelier, and she was fascinated by wine. With no fine dining experience, Norman was hired at the steakhouse and worked her way up from bar apprentice to food runner, head expediter, server, and then to captain.
When she turned 21, Norman took the Level 1 Sommelier exam. After passing, she was eager to work at Spago Beverly Hills to study the restaurant's wine list which had 4,000 selections and nearly 20,000 bottles. So, she drove an hour away to try to snag an interview. Eventually, Norman joined as a sommelier, navigating the high-pressure environment while serving a knowledgeable clientele. Not long after, she started hosting wine education for sommeliers at Spago. What started with eight people, eventually grew to a group of over 200 sommeliers from all over California by 2020. When the pandemic hit, the tastings went virtual. People would pick up vials of wine through a drive-through at her house, and every week there was a different mentor to lead the video call. Beyond the tastings, she hosted free webinars and master classes.
In 2021, Norman moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and joined the team at Delilah, where she now leads an elevated service to guests with a range of wine knowledge. She continues to embody education through her monthly in-person tastings at the restaurant and her online "Wine Course for Beginners." Norman also co-founded the United Sommeliers Foundation with Sommelier Chris Blanchard during the pandemic, which has given out $1.8 million to wine professionals in difficult times, from fire devastations to health issues.
