SHELTON VINEYARDS - Key Persons
Charles M. Shelton was a native of Mt. Airy, N.C., and lived in Dobson with his wife, Sandy. They have two children, Mandy Shelton Houser (Mrs. Todd Houser) of Charlotte and Charles M. Shelton, Jr. (Chip) of Charlotte. Charlie Shelton attended Surry County Schools and was a graduate of Franklin High School class of 1953.
Ed Shelton, a native of Mount Airy, N.C., resides in Dobson with his wife, Dotti. They have three children, Jennifer Egues (Mrs. Michael Egues) of Charlotte, Lydia Surles (Mrs. Mark Surles), of Charlotte, and Winni Shelton of Atlanta, GA. Ed Shelton attended Surry County Schools and graduated from Mount Airy High School in 1958. He also attended Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk.
Charlie and Ed worked together in construction and real estate development for the majority of their working careers. The last company they founded was Shelco, Inc., a general construction company which they sold to a group of employees in 2004. They also fonded The Shelton Companies, a private investment firm based in Charlotte. Other companies founded by the Sheltons include Fortis Homes, King Sash & Door Company, and Carolinas' Distribution Services.
Ethan has spent his entire life in the Yadkin Valley wine industry, getting his start when he was young in his family's winery and tasting room. He later became their official winemaker when he was 19 years old and has been making wine in North Carolina ever since. Ethan holds an associate's degree in viticulture and enology from Surry Community College and a bachelor's degree in chemistry/fermentation science from Appalachian State University. In addition to his passion for enology, Ethan enjoys brewing science and was once a commercial head brewer.
Job Titles:
- EXECUTIVE CHEF - HARVEST GRILL
Originally from a small town in southwest Ohio, Chef Mark Thrower was raised in Winston-Salem. His parents and extended family are all from the sandhills, in the heart of North Carolina. Mark holds childhood memories in NC with his grandparents shelling lima beans, cleaning catfish, and chewing on clover honeycomb dear to his soul.
While pursuing his undergraduate degree in Charlotte, Mark developed a keen interest in cooking. This led to his enrollment in the newly established Culinary Arts program at CPCC. Shortly thereafter, he was hired as a cook at Morels Restaurant in Charlotte, which led to a five year learning experience in their fine dining Banner Elk location. The mentorship he gained from the James Beard nominee chef at Morels was invaluable, and to this day, Mark continues to, in his own words: "Cook from my heart!"
Mark and his wife Katherine moved to Westfield nearly a year ago, and enjoy the country farm lifestyle. After spending more than a decade as the executive sous chef at a country club visible from the vineyards, Mark grew up very fond of the Foothills, and now absolutely loves living here. Mark is thrilled to be a part of the Shelton Vineyards & Harvest Grill family, and cannot wait to host you for an exceptional dining experience during your next visit to our estate!
Miguel and his staff of vineyard workers are responsible for the planting, maintenance, and upkeep of our vineyard and winery grounds. Miguel, originally from Mexico, is now a naturalized citizen of the U.S. He started his career in agriculture with the Monroe Tree Farm in Monroe, Oregon, in the early 1990's growing and pruning Christmas Trees. In 1994, he joined the vineyard crew at Benton Lane Vineyards also in Monroe and, in short order, became a key component of their vineyard staff. Joining Shelton Vineyards in 1998, he is one of our first employees and has been involved with each and every phase of vineyard development.
Originally from Northern Ohio, Travis and his wife, Martha, met while he was attending Purdue University for Hospitality Management. Their love of travel and adventure eventually landed them in Mooresville, NC, where they started a family and had their daughter Emilie. In 2017, they relocated to the Houston, TX region, where Travis was the Assistant General Manager at The Clubs at Houston Oaks for the past four years. Travis and his family, which includes their two dogs, Daisy (Chocolate Labrador) and Max (Boston terrier) relocated in February of 2021 to Shelton Vineyards where Travis is the General Manager/COO of the Shelton family's Dobson based business. Travis spent the early part of his professional career as an Executive Chef and the last 13-years as a private country club manager. Epicurean travel to experience amazing food and wine is one of his passions. He enjoys the outdoors, sculpting, and going on adventures with his family in his private time.