Before Chef Shelton graduated from Yale in 1982 with degrees in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics, his plan was to be a doctor. When his passion shifted to the culinary world, his expertise in chemistry and physiology did not go to waste. Rather, they have proven to be defining factors in a 25-year reign over some of the nation’s best restaurants and being awarded the James Beard Best Chef - Mid Atlantic.

Over 25 years ago, while chef-de-cuisine the nation’s #1 restaurant, Chef Shelton began searching for the perfect cup of coffee. After sampling over 280 of the world’s best single origins, he concluded that not one provided a perfectly complex and balanced tasting experience from start to finish.

Rather than settle for anything less than perfection, Shelton pioneered a Bordeaux-inspired blending method using only the world’s best beans, through which he crafted a line of the most flavorful coffee blends, suited for a king and crafted for you, the result was Kings Row Coffee Company.