Our team

Founder • Brewer • Educator • Advanced Cicerone® • BJCP® National Beer Judge

Chris Kesler

Chris has a business degree from University of Vermont with a concentration in Management Information Systems. In the first decade of his career, he rose quickly from programming jobs, into team leadership, then management positions eventually in charge of hiring and managing 4 departments for an IBM vendor company in Essex Junction. Finally succumbing to his natural entrepreneurial instincts, he founded a web design, development and marketing company (Earthlogic, Inc.) in May of 1998. 15 years later, he founded a second company (Logic Properties, LLC) and purchased an old Church building in Essex Junction. After renovating the building, he began using it as a base of operations for Earthlogic, brought on a local co-working space (Excelerate Essex), and most important – began his home brewing career in the basement.

Fast forward to 2017, Chris was top 2 in the state-wide Make the Cut competition. Many home brewing awards later, he was named Vermont Homebrewer of the year in 2018 and followed up with back to back wins (along with Justin Rito) in 2019. 2017 also put Chris on the path to aggressive beer education – he hosted a year long BJCP® study group and a 9 month Cicerone® study group with both ending in successful certifications. In 2022, Chris earned an Advanced Cicerone® certification and in 2023, he earned the rank of BJCP® National beer judge making him the only person in Vermont that is both as Advanced Cicerone® and a BJCP® National beer judge. In 2018, Chris also earned a certificate in the business of Craft Beer at UVM.

In 2022, Chris was elected as Vice President of the Distilled Spirits Council of Vermont and also serves on the Government Affairs Committee of the Vermont Brewers Association. Chris was instrumental in promoting (and testifying for) legislation in Vermont that moved Ready to Drink Canned Cocktails into private distribution, and promoting much needed COVID relief funding to small businesses in Vermont in the form of the Forgivable Loan Program administered by VEDA.

Chris is the founding partner of Black Flannel Brewing Co. and one of 4 founding partners of Black Flannel Distilling Co. He loves bringing a unique experience to local & state residents, and travelers looking to experience the best Vermont has to offer.

Director of Beverage Operations • Certified Cicerone®

Dan Sartwell

Dan began his pro brewing career as assistant brewer in 2011 at the historic Shed Brewery in Stowe, Vermont. He also worked a short time at Rock Art Brewery and the original Trapp Family Lodge brewery as a cellarman and brewer. Most recently, Dan was the Brewmaster at 14th Star Brewery and Taproom where, with his amazing team, he was able to grow 14th Star from a “garage operation” to a large regional production brewery.

When Dan isn’t brewing beer, he enjoys spending time with his family of 4 in northern Vermont. Dan enjoys hiking through the woods of Vermont foraging for wild edibles, fishing, and pondering the secrets of the universe.

Dan is excited to collaborate with the entire Black Flannel team to create world class brews for all of our loyal patrons. Black Flannel Brewing is the essence of craft, quality, education, community, and sustainability. Every step of the process will be highly scrutinized by all of these tenets so that when you receive a glass of beer from one of our highly trained beertenders, the overall experience will be unmatched.

Brewer • Head of Flannel Panel • Certified Cicerone®

Prescott Stanton

Prescott  was born and raised in rural Alaska and attended film school in San Francisco, CA. After working in the film marketing industry in Los Angeles as an editor he decided to shift his professional pursuits, guided by his passion of homebrewing, he found his way to Vermont.  At the very beginning of his career in the Vermont beer industry, Prescott washed kegs and assisted Dan Sartwell in the cellar and brewhouse at 14th Star Brewing company,  to ultimately work his way up and advance to the position of Director of Brewing Operations.  Prescott is a Certified Cicerone, enjoys honing his craft, and closely identifies with the mantra of Black Flannel: Work Hard, Drink Beer, and Pet Dogs. 

When Prescott is not in the brewhouse or cellar you might find him spending time with his son, walking his dog Luna in the woods, or enjoying a tasty beverage.

Quality Control • Head of Beer Curriculum • BJCP® National Beer Judge • Certified Cicerone®

Rob Friesel

Director of Restaurant Operations

Neal Johnston

Executive Chef

Jonathan Pacheco

Chef Jonathan was raised 3 miles west of Manhattan, by a mother who served as the US ambassador in El Salvador. He began exploring high levels of hospitality at an early age leading him to study and graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree from the Culinary program at Johnson and Wales University in Providence Rhode Island. It was there that Chef Jonathan was first introduced to the bounty of the New England local foods movement.

Upon graduation, he moved to Tennessee to open a bakery where he developed an affinity and love of sourcing local fresh ingredients. After moving back to NY to raise a family, he began to live out his dream of becoming a chef in the vibrant culinary world of New York City.

Having vacationed in Vermont for many years, Chef Jonathan decided to move to Vermont with his family after the COVID Pandemic hit. His first job upon moving to Vermont was Black Flannel Brewing where he worked for the better part of a year before being given the opportunity to join Doc Ponds in Stowe VT as their Executive Chef.

After spending time at Doc Ponds, Chef Jonathan worked as Chef De Cuisine at Starry Night Cafe. We are now very pleased that Chef Jonathan has decided to come “back home“ to Black Flannel where, as our Executive Chef, he is able to develop a team of culinary professionals, with the goal of contributing to the Black Flannel culture of providing Exceptional Craft (in Culinary Arts) that pairs well with Exceptional Craft Beer.

Outside of work, Chef loves spending time with his two sons Julian and Jonathan.

Front of House Manager • Bar Manager

Michael Lattanzio

Born an East-Coaster, Michael migrated to Missoula, Montana in 2005 to attend the University of Montana where he pursued a degree in Environmental Studies. Living amongst the elk and bears in the lands of the evergreens, he spent most of his time fly fishing, snowboarding, whitewater rafting, and of course drinking local beers at all the amazing Missoula breweries. Michael began his professional career in hospitality at Montgomery Distillery as bartender, Events Manager, Sales Manager, Bottling Manager, Distillery Tour Manager, and other operations. With a strong passion for beer  he joined GILD Brewing – a brewpub with Mexican-inspired food & a vintage arcade. During the pandemic he came back east to rejoin his family. He joined Black Flannel in the Spring of 2021 as front of house supervisor. Michael has strong knowledge of beer, spirits, cocktails, and the hospitality industry. His passion makes him a valuable asset to the Black Flannel community. 

Catering & Events Coordinator

Haley Gill

Front of House • Guest Experience Manager

Becca Christie

Born and raised in Vermont, Becca, brings over 16 years of hospitality experience to the table. Her journey started at Ben & Jerry’s, where she cultivated a passion for exceptional service and quality products. From there, she honed her skills at a pizza shop, a farm-to-table restaurant, a cozy café and a family-owned winery.

In 2015, Becca assumed the role of General Manager at New Moon in Burlington, VT, where she dedicated six years to orchestrating seamless operations, fostering vibrant atmospheres, and ensuring guest satisfaction. In 2021, driven by a pursuit of knowledge, Becca enrolled at UVM for Business Administration and Economics and started working as a server at Black Flannel.

Now at Black Flannel, Becca is committed to curating unforgettable guest experiences, blending her wealth of hospitality experience with an enthusiasm for craft beer and team building.

Becca loves to travel whenever she can. Most recently, she spent a semester in Denmark and visited Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands. She also enjoys snowboarding, trying out new restaurants, spending quality time at home with her fiancé, and playing with her puppy.

Sous Chef

Connor Groll

Connor was born and raised in Vermont, attending Essex High School with a lot of family close by.  Connor grew up across the street from his great grandparents whose garden and lawn he helped tend in summers. He attributes this plus a close relationship with his maternal grandmother with creating the spark that drove his passion for cooking and food in general.

After high school, Connor moved to Boston where he lived for 7 years. In Boston he was fortunate enough to work with some very talented chefs, bakers and cooks. When the pandemic struck, he moved back to Vermont to be closer to family and give college a try. However, the allure of the hospitality industry kept pulling him back.

Connor worked with Black Flannel for the better part of a year before embarking on various growth positions with other local fine dining, culinary-focused restaurants. When Chef Jonathan rejoined the Black Flannel team as our Executive Chef, Connor felt it was a great time to rejoin our family as Sous Chef and we agreed whole-heartedly. 

We look forward to great things to come from Chef Connor.

Spirit Master

Dave Mosher

Dave has been a Ski Industry professional for most of his career but his true passion is in craft distilling. After 20 years of home brewing, Dave developed an interest in distilling and his true education began around 2013 when he spent all of his free time working to educate himself in the process of starting a distillery. This involved countless road trips to visit distilleries, ask questions, and create alliances.

In his travels, he landed an apprenticeship at SILO Distillery in, Windsor, VT, for the summer of 2014 and worked alongside their Master Distiller, Ray Parker. He picked up a part-time summer weekend job as a Farmers Market Sales rep for Lake George Distilling Co. in Fort Ann, NY. Around this time, he met Duncan Holaday, owner and founder of Dunc’s Mill Distillery in, Barnet, VT – Vermont’s first distillery post-prohibition. After a work session & tasting, Duncan encouraged Dave to pursue a career in distilling.

A couple years later Dave enrolled in Duncan’s week-long distilling course through VTC called Craft Distilling As a Profession – The Vermont Experience. By the time the course was over, Duncan asked Dave to run his distillery with him for the summer. Then when Duncan decided he wanted to retire from the VTC Course, he asked Dave to take over. Dave has been running the course since 2018.

Through his distillery associations, Dave had a chance to develop a unique skill producing pilot batches from vegetables, fruits, roots and botanicals. As a founder of Black Flannel Distilling Co., Dave has the opportunity to bring his distinctive and unique brandies, whiskeys, and specialty spirits to the market. Educating folks in the art and science of distillation is a large part of his vision. It’s fun to share the passion!

Head Distiller & Maintenance Lead

Travis Johnson

Travis is the Head Distiller and jack of all trades at Black Flannel Distilling Co. Born in the small town of Robbinston, Maine, he grew up with a passion for building and creating things. In 2011, Travis moved to Milton, Vermont where he engaged in various projects including: woodworking (where he constructed a home bar, a coffee table from a used whiskey barrel, and an apple cider press), metalworking, cheesemaking, smoking foods, gardening, and most importantly, home brewing.

Travis became a member of the Green Mountain Mashers Home brew Club shortly after moving to Vermont, where he met Chris, Dave and Peter, and where Black Flannel Distilling Co. was conceptualized. Travis split his time over the next 9 years between being a marine engineer on a ship (in the Bering Sea off Alaska) and his home in Vermont engaging as head distiller at Black Flannel Distilling.

Before opening, Travis was most excited about educating visitors about the ins and outs of distilling, and of course creating world class spirits. Travis purchased a homestead in Maine closer to his roots but you may catch a glimpse of him at Black Flannel (where he retains a level of distillery ownership) during his visits.  If you miss him at the tasting room, you might find him on his boat, in the woods, or at disc golf courses around New England looking for an aberrantly thrown disc in the bushes.

Director of Accounting

Deb Kesler

Deb is our Director of Accounting, who on a daily basis performs the bookkeeping & accounting functions for both Black Flannel Brewing and Black Flannel Distilling. Deb is the keeper of clear heads and sanity checks. She also doubles as our Human Resource administrator helping to organize on-boarding, employee benefits, handbook, and many other day to day office activities.

For the last 30 years, Deb has been responsible for varying functions and roles in accounting for many industries including trash & recycling, marketing & design, manufacturing, health & fitness, property management, and is now excited to take on an entirely new challenge in the craft beer, craft spirits, scratch food and hospitality industry.

Black Flannel prides itself on assembling a team of highly talented people in their respective crafts and professions. Deb brings a level of professionalism and applies bookkeeping and accounting principles as her own “craft” on a daily basis.