Stephen Bowler
Founding-Partner / Sommelier / Operations & Finance Director
Stephen Bowler combines his passion for both form and function along with a unique aesthetic and approach to problem solving in creating his views on hospitality, business management, entertainment, ambiance, and life. It is his goal to continually find new things that excite people, and to bring that to the guest experience at The Nautilus.
Born in Boston and raised on Nantucket, Stephen grew up in an entrepreneurial family, spending many of his days with his parents at their men’s clothing stores, the Bowler Company (Main Street Nantucket, Copley Place Boston). He is an alumnus of Milton Academy (Milton, MA) and Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) where he graduated with a B.S. in finance and a minor in engineering. Upon graduation, Stephen packed his bags for San Francisco where he lived and worked for two years as a financial analyst for a leading national department store. After two years, Stephen began the next phase of his life “education” by traveling extensively around the globe - half a year each in Asia, South America & Central America as well as several months in a variety of European countries - and by working extended summer seasons in the food and beverage industry in his hometown of Nantucket.
Building upon the wine knowledge he gained from his time in San Francisco, while traveling, and while working summers in a wine shop on Nantucket, Stephen began working on the island as a sommelier in 2010 at the Boarding House. He grew to become the wine director and lead sommelier for both the Boarding House and their sister restaurant the Pearl. In 2013, Stephen became a certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and lived in Napa for several months. Throughout his wine travels he has visited over 100 wineries in California, New York, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Portugal, France and New Zealand.
It was at The Pearl where Stephen would meet his future business partners - The Nautilus’ Culinary Director Liam Makey and Beverage Director Clinton Terry. The three budding restaurateurs began to discuss what their ideal restaurant would be - and quickly found that each of their specific areas of expertise complimented each other perfectly. When a small space on Cambridge Street became available to lease at the end of 2013, the team finally decided to begin working on what would become Nantucket’s iconic The Nautilus that opened in May 2014. The team again collaborated (along with Callie Kever & Caleb Cressman) at The Gaslight, which combines food and beverage with an extensive live music scene, in June 2019. In 2021, The Nautilus team expanded to open The Nautilus Pier 4 in Boston’s Seaport District, a project over 30 months in the making.
When not in one of the restaurants or click-clacking at a computer, Stephen is probably traveling, beaching, eating, going to shows, writing, reading the classics, or relaxing with his wife Mary, their daughters Birdie & Louisa, and their dog Moby.