Justin Chearno, a Four Horsemen Founding Partner, Has Died

Justin Chearno, one of the original owners of Four Horsemen, has died.

The Four Horsemen team put out a statement on Instagram. “It is a loss for the entire food and wine community, here and abroad, as Justin helped champion, teach, and connect so many people — from winemakers to chefs and so many more,” the post states. “We will mourn, and grapple with, this unimaginable loss forever.” A spokesperson shared he was 54. The cause of death has not yet been made public. Eater has reached out for more information.

Chearno has been a founding partner since The Four Horsemen opened on Grand Street in 2015. He was the wine director — and was recognized as a leader in the natural wine conversation at New York restaurants and beyond. He connected with LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, another Four Horsemen founding partner, through being in various bands himself. He and the team expanded just before the pandemic with Nightmoves next door, a nightclub with natural wine. In 2022, the Four Horsemen took home a James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine Program.

As the Michelin-starred restaurant geared up for its decade anniversary, Chearno and the partners had been getting ready for the release of their first cookbook, The Four Horsemen: Food and Wine for Good Times from the Brooklyn Restaurant this fall. This summer, Eater reported that he, alongside Nick Curtola, Four Horsemen’s executive chef, and Amanda McMillan, the Four Horsemen’s general manager, was expanding with a forthcoming restaurant at 284 Grand Street, in Williamsburg, targeting to open by the end of the year.

Chearno had been a veteran of the wine industry for years, having worked as a buyer and for an importer. He is credited with helping bring natural wine to a higher regard in America. In a past interview with Punch, he said, “You get into something interesting like natural wine, and you love it, and you want the whole world to come to your party.”