Who we are.
Cittavino & Co. is a niche interactive online wine shop focusing on southern Italian wines. The website is home to not just tasty bottles of small production, obscure wine, but to an abundance of information and wine maps. Substack is where we publish all our wine pairing recipes with our Exec. Chef, Olivia Cappelletti.
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Emilia
is an Oakland native (was) aspiring dancer turned NYC restaurant wine slinger. Her first interest in southern Italy began with the exploration of her own roots- the lost lineage of her father’s Sicilian side. Her first trip to the motherland was freshly after her 21st birthday- it was awkward, difficult, no iPhone or GPS, no money and she found herself living what felt like a ‘90s punk rock memory in Palermo, Sicily. She lived off of Sicilian street food and anchovy pasta with a group of young Italians (she can’t even remember how she found the room to rent?) and fine wine was definitely not on the mind at the time. Little did she know, that trip laid the foundation for all that was to come…
Flash forward 10 years later, Emilia found herself hustling in the NYC restaurant scene, freshly let go dreams of making it big in dance, but fully immersed in Italian wine. After an eye opening wine trip to Puglia in 2017, Sicily called her back in 2018 were she worked her first harvest on Mt. Etna and thus began her deep dive of the infinitely fascinating volcanic region. She likes to geek out on geology articles and vine pruning practices, but she never forgets what it’s all about- bringing us together, over nourishment provided by precious mother nature, to connect with one another over our shared humanness.
Olivia
is a professional chef and dinner party enthusiast. An East coast native, she's most recently landed at LA-based Gjusta Grocer where she manages the kitchen and seeks to showcase the diversity of hyper-seasonal California produce as well as the farms themselves. Olivia has previously worked in kitchens in New York and Italy, and is endlessly inspired by the storytelling behind recipes and culinary traditions—a breadcrumb that’s followed her since her first life as podcast producer for digital fashion publication Who What Wear. Her dedication to culinary discovery and translating those experiences to those around her table has driven her passion for food, even before her path within it was clear. She cooks bright, herby dishes, eats dinner at an hour most are in bed, and always has room for dessert (and amaro!). Beware not to tell her you don’t like an ingredient, as she’ll see it only as a personal challenge to use it to create something you find downright craveable.
Emilia and Olivia’s collaboration began at a chance meeting in Ciro’, Calabria during a grape harvest at ‘A Vita. They bonded immediately over their desire to explore new horizons and leave old lives behind, a delicious and well thought out meal, the daily hustle, staying calm and resourceful in stressful situations, and dreams of figs and anchovies.
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