Fabio was born in 1989 in San Severo in the Puglia region of Italy. His journey into the world of bartending began when he followed in the footsteps of his older brother Mario. Mario is also Barkeeper, lived in Sydney and worked at Charlie Parker's Speakeasy and is now in Hong Kong at the St. Regis Bar.
Fabio has always felt a certain affinity for the hospitality industry, which probably stems from his education: He studied at the hotel and hospitality school in Termoli in southern Italy.
He gained his first work experience in pizzerias and cafés; then in the second and third year of hotel management school - at the age of 15 to 16 - Fabio began to travel around Italy to get to know other regions and hotels. It was here that he began to expand his knowledge of bar service.
After three and a half years in London, Fabio moved to São Paulo, Brazil, where he started working at SubAstor.
One of the best experiences he had was at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on the shores of Lake Como. Working there, he could feel a real ceremony of hospitality every day and during every shift. After Fabio graduated from hotel school at the age of eighteen, he lived in Milan for a year where he worked at the Carlton Baglioni Hotel.
He then moved to London where he started working at Montgomery Place in Notting Hill. This particular bar marked a big step in his career, as it was one of the most prestigious places in the London bar industry for many years and one of the best bars in the world at the time.
After three and a half years in London, Fabio was offered the opportunity to move to São Paulo, Brazil, where he started working at SubAstor. He felt that this job offered him a unique environment where special attention was paid to the guests and their needs were anticipated, rather than simply serving food or drinks.
SubAstor
SubAstor is an "urban chic" bar that opened in June 2009. It is the first modern style cocktail bar in Brazil and since its opening, the main goal has been to offer the best experience to guests and introduce them to the new international cocktail culture that goes beyond the Brazilian classics.
The team consists of nine people: three bartenders, a bar chef (a Barkeeper, who is responsible for the kitchen), three cocktail waiters, a hostess and of course Fabio. A strong work ethic is very important for everyone.
The team takes care of each other and each of the team members is responsible for training and welcoming new staff. The floor manager trains the new member how to deal with customers, the bar backs explain the set-up of the bar, the orders and the cleaning schedule and so on.
The menu changes every three months depending on the season. The SubAstor has a capacity of seventy-two seats. The cocktail bar belongs to Companhia Tradicional de Comercio - a company founded in 1996 that now operates a total of thirty-seven venues in São Paulo (burger bars, pizzerias, brasseries and botecos).
Inspiration
Fabio believes that inspiration should come from any of his personal passions. This can be music, art or sharing ideas with people you are close to and who are part of your daily life.
At the same time, he believes that five points should be observed to ignite your creative process: Awareness, Inspiration, Interpretation, Execution and Development.
Favourite cocktail
One cocktail Fabio likes a lot is the Bijoux Caju from his own menu. He uses gin as the base, falernum, lime, a dash of yellow chartreuse, vermouth bianco with amarillo hops and mocororó (fermented cashew juice, which is like a fruitier cider and goes back to indigenous Brazilian culture).
Favourite bar
Untitled in London.
This article appeared in
Issue 2-2021
BAR NEWS magazine as single issue
