With no formal training under his belt at the start of his career—no wine certifications, wine club memberships, secret society inductions, or slumber party invites—Stephen Mancini was considered an outsider by the old guard of pin-wearing, school-going somms. He was the Ponyboy of NYC’s wine scene, and Danny Meyer was his Darry—a fortuitous mentorship to say the least.
After graduating from Villanova University, Stephen enrolled in graduate school at New York University and acquired his first New York City restaurant job as a bus boy at Gramercy Tavern. While at Gramercy, Stephen was nudged into wine by the likes of Paul Grieco, Karen King, and Juliette Pope—three of the city’s greatest wine directors. Under their tutelage, Stephen climbed the ranks of Gramercy, eventually garnering a position as manager of Union Square Café, Danny Meyer’s beloved flagship. While at USQ Cafe, Stephen continued to hone his wine knowledge, and in January of 2006, at the tender age of 26, Stephen became the restaurant’s Wine and Spirits Director. After three successful years at the restaurant and three amazing harvests in Italy, California, and New York, Stephen was called upon once again. This time his mission was merely a conception—a Roman trattoria in the Gramercy Park Hotel that would sport an all-Italian collection. And so as Wine and Spirits Director of what is now known as Maialino, Stephen has fashioned a short list of value-driven nonpareils that has quickly branded the restaurant as a destination for lovers of traditional Italian wine on a budget.
When he is not at work, Stephen can be found tending to his own biodynamically-planted and organically-farmed vineyard in Litchfield, Connecticut, or watching the AS Roma soccer team dominate the Serie A. Forza Roma!
Click here for our review of Maialino’s list.
Stephen Mancini, Maialino
With no formal training under his belt at the start of his career—no wine certifications, wine club memberships, secret society inductions, or slumber party invites—Stephen Mancini was considered an outsider by the old guard of pin-wearing, school-going somms. He was the Ponyboy of NYC’s wine scene, and Danny Meyer was his Darry—a fortuitous mentorship to say the least.
After graduating from Villanova University, Stephen enrolled in graduate school at New York University and acquired his first New York City restaurant job as a bus boy at Gramercy Tavern. While at Gramercy, Stephen was nudged into wine by the likes of Paul Grieco, Karen King, and Juliette Pope—three of the city’s greatest wine directors. Under their tutelage, Stephen climbed the ranks of Gramercy, eventually garnering a position as manager of Union Square Café, Danny Meyer’s beloved flagship. While at USQ Cafe, Stephen continued to hone his wine knowledge, and in January of 2006, at the tender age of 26, Stephen became the restaurant’s Wine and Spirits Director. After three successful years at the restaurant and three amazing harvests in Italy, California, and New York, Stephen was called upon once again. This time his mission was merely a conception—a Roman trattoria in the Gramercy Park Hotel that would sport an all-Italian collection. And so as Wine and Spirits Director of what is now known as Maialino, Stephen has fashioned a short list of value-driven nonpareils that has quickly branded the restaurant as a destination for lovers of traditional Italian wine on a budget.
When he is not at work, Stephen can be found tending to his own biodynamically-planted and organically-farmed vineyard in Litchfield, Connecticut, or watching the AS Roma soccer team dominate the Serie A. Forza Roma!
Click here for our review of Maialino’s list.
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