Bio
Grew up in East Los Angeles. Moved to Vegas after high school and started working as a busboy at Valentino by Piero Selvaggio in the Venetian Hotel & Casino. Worked my way up to bartending and serving where I would ask the bar manager & wine director tons of questions about wine, beer, spirits, mixology, basically anything alcohol related. Valentino had a Wine Spectator Grand Award since 1981. I was given the opportunity to work with and taste some of the best wines of the world that I could never afford like Gaja, DRC, Petrus etc. Six years later in the summer of 2009, Tiziano Gortan contacted me from L'Hostaria offering a Sommelier position. We fell in love with the Roaring Fork Valley. Myself along with my wife and son, 9 months old at the time, decided to move to Aspen in October of 2009 and now after seven years I'm having a blast. After 20 years of business, Tiziano has made it a priority to keep expanding our knowledge and relationships with Italian producers. I've taken three "drinking work related" trips to Italy. Getting to know these winemakers in their homeland is the best way to understand their philosophy. Our wine program at L'Hostaria is dominated by Piemonte, Toscana & Friuli. My favorite thing is introducing new wines to diners. For those Malbec requests, old vine Barbera does the trick. I'm also currently working for Vinifera Imports getting to know the distribution side of the business.
Company - Restaurant: Sommelier at L'HOSTARIA
Location: Aspen Colorado