Alex's love for food and wine began at an early age. From spending Sundays at the dinner table, frying fish at Christmas Eve, to making homemade wine with his grandfather, he was quickly consumed by the Italian way of life. After graduating from college, he began chasing the grape harvest, working for wineries in New Zealand, Italy, and Napa Valley. While in Italy he obtained a masters degree in wine-making and worked for various wineries, restaurants, farms, and bakeries around the country. His winemaking style and kitchen approach certainly stem from the Old Country.
In all, Alex spent nearly eight years on the road, with the goal to bring all he learned to his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio — connecting all the dots with a true, Italian osteria and winery. A place for the locals, for the people. In 2017 he founded YOSTERIA, and it continues to provide a sense of community & tradition today. Serving wine and a simple meal that brings people together and back to the old days — back to the simple ways of Italian life.
With no plans to stop traveling and learning, he still maintains great relationships with the people he has worked for and learned from. He continues to make wine professionally and regularly travels to Cali & Italy to visit friends and family.
