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Don Jost , General Manager & Wine Director
Growing up in upstate New York, Don was exposed to great food and wine from an early age. His father worked for a grocery company, then a wine distributor, while his Italian mother stayed at home and prepared a dizzying array of foods for the family to enjoy. Her culinary reputation eventually led to a position teaching Italian cooking at a local kitchen boutique. With parents like these, Don naturally became attuned to the finer points of cuisine even before taking his first restaurant job at the age of fourteen.
While finishing his degree in literary theory at Syracuse University, Don realized his love of all things dining was quickly becoming a consuming passion. He took a job as a waiter at a new Italian restaurant in Syracuse called Dante, where the Sicilian owner/chef Hans Lazuardi, who had studied under the greatest chefs in Europe, made it his daily duty to instill his passion for dining in his staff. Many evenings were spent sitting around a table with Hans after closing time, enjoying culinary masterpieces and talking about the magical relationship between food and wine.
After graduation Don headed to San Francisco to attend grad school at San Francisco State, and was immediately captivated by the thriving culinary scene. He began waiting tables at Scala's to put himself through school, but it quickly became obvious that a career in food and wine would make him much happier than one in academia, so he abandoned his graduate degree. He became actively involved in the wine program at Scala's and gained a reputation as the Italian wine expert among his colleagues. This knowledge was deepened during his two and a half year tenure at Rose Pistola, where the primarily Italian wine list perfectly suited his developing palate. He was also taking advantage of living in wine country during this time, exploring the many great wineries of Napa and Sonoma while learning to pair these wines with bold California cuisine.
Now in his mid-thirties, Don feels ready to take on the challenge of running a thriving enoteca and creating an exciting and accessible wine list. He is excited to join Melissa Gisler and Mark Young in their attempt to create one of the most enjoyable wine bar experiences in the country and a San Francisco landmark.
Don is currently preparing for his first test in the Court of Master Sommeliers certification program and he lives in the Presidio.
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HOURS
11:30 AM to 11:00 PM Tuesday - Thursday
11:30 AM to 2:00 AM Friday
10:00 AM to 2:00 AM Saturday
10:00 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday |
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LOCATION (map)
1838 Union Street
San Francisco, California 94123
tel (415) 674.8400
fax (415) 674.8333 |
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