We had the good fortune of connecting with Alberto Battaglini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alberto, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
Lately I keep hearing people saying ‘in life you need some luck’.

I want to make clear that Luck doesn’t have anything to do with your success. It’s hard work that makes it. You can’t just sit tight and wait that luck will take over one day. Hard work, long hours, commitment and passion are the driving forces to someone’s life.

During years of working I always saw a constant constructive feedback on what I did, eventually that gave me the necessary confidence to take the leap of faith and start to work for myself.

I must say it was a nice learning curve and I was very exited to see my business growing from a seed of an idea into something real but (un)fortunately I can’t attribute any of that to luck.

Work hard and harvest the benefit.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I graduated as a chef from the culinary art institute in Verona, Italy. I started my chef career soon after school and I realized very pronto that chef wasn’t the job for me. Cooking wasn’t the problem; the environment was. Always closed into a kitchen with the same individuals was like a cage for me, so I moved from the back of the house to the front and I started to work behind the bar were I very much fell in love with being on a stage.
I took chances and started to travel around the world working in different countries, that gave me a different mindset regarding cultures, recipes, flavors and how people mix them in their everyday life.
I have always been intrigued by challenges and I kept myself pushing for more and more. Wasn’t easy in the beginning as I started with nothing and no skills….I remember I spent 4 months in London without a job and I was ready to go back home defeated but I couldn’t face the fact to go back empty handed, so I swallowed my pride and I started to apply for any kind of jobs. Eventually I got one as a dishwasher and as soon as I started to learn the language I moved up the ladder:
I’ve always been taken pride in my work and I learned quickly to not compromise quality for quantity. Anything I do, I do mybest and I dedicate myself to it. This philosophy eventually led me into management and that helped shaping my visions and transform them from dream to reality.

The singular most beneficial step that made me what I am now was making mistakes along the road. Every mistake I did I had to eventually overcome and learn from it. That made me resilient and adaptable. I’ve also gained friendship friendships that have played a huge role into my life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This coast is absolutely fantastic so you cant really go wrong but if I really have to I would do the following.

I am based in the Santa Barbara wine country area of Santa Ynez Valley and we have the most unique wineries that showcase a very friendly terroir. I would start with that and the first few days I would bring my guests to visit as many as they could. One in particular is Starlane run by my good friend Tyler Thomas who does an incredible job out there. Amazing wine and a gravity fed winery with obscure caves. Lots of quality wines and immense knowledge there.

I would spend a few days bring them hiking and surfing. This area is top notch for it. Often I find myself at Refugio state park camping or hiking the Figueroa Mountains. Lots of fun activities around here and I will make sure to hit James Lowsom for a scenic flight on his hot air Baloons. The Valley from above is basically jaw dropping and he and his crew are doing an amazing job around here.

Lastly, I would bring my guests to try out the never boring always surprising California Local cuisine. The food scene in the Valley has grown exponentially and some saying is becoming a food Mecca.

Beside bringing my guests to my restaurant of course (Pony Cocktails+Kitchen) where they can indulge on awesome, simple, quality forward food and one of a kind cocktails, I would show them the super local hangouts as Bell’s in Los Alamos where they can buffet ona Michelin star rated French restaurant.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this to my wife and a few mentors I had along the way.

My Wife give me the support and constant happiness that someone need to succeed and she always been next to me and supported me in every adventure I created. I m so honored to have such a strong companion.

During my career I had a few people I really shared the gift of learning with. One of the main influencer I had the pleasure to work with back in London was Ian Slater who took me under his team while I had very serius communication problem (English wasn’t my first language). He taught me that hard work will repay you and consistency is the key of success.

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.