Sam Rethmeier has spent over 20 years in the hospitality industry, working at acclaimed restaurants  like Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado and Chi Spacca in Los Angeles. At 32-years-old, he was hired to run the wine program at République in Los Angeles, where he oversaw an inventory of over $850,000 and with annual sales reaching over $2.5 million a year. In 2024, Sam started Respite in order to help restaurants run profitable wine programs.