About

GiacominoDrago Biography

Giacomino Drago is the youngest of eight children from the small town of Galati Mamertino in Sicily’s Messina region where the family grew and made almost everything they ate; from pressing olives to make olive oil, to making fresh cheeses, to watching his father make wine from their own vineyards.
Even before the age of 11, when Giacomino began cooking at the family’s area restaurant Portella Gazzana until the age of 16, Giacomino showed great interest in the family kitchen experimenting with risotto from locally harvested Porcini mushrooms, even though his first few attempts didn’t exactly pan out.

PaoloSicuro Biography

Chef Paolo Siruro has been a chef at Via Alloro since 2008, and comes from an extensive culinary background which he began at 13 years old. As a culinary artist, he enjoys working at Via Alloro because it reminds him of his home in Southern Italy.

Originating from Martano Italy, chef Paolo began living independently and working in the kitchen as a teenager. After supporting himself in this way for several years, he decided he wanted to make restaurants his career and become a chef at age of 17. He later moved to Rome, put himself through culinary school, and, when graduated, vacationed to Los Angeles. This is when he fell in love with the city, as well as landed a job while on vacation. Chef Paolo started in the U.S. at Prego Ristorante, an Italian fine-dining restaurant, while also working for the Hilton Corporation. Following these jobs, Chef Paolo moved to work at Pallegria Restaurant, an eatery at the Malibu Ranch Inn Hotel, and then discovered his home away from home, Via Alloro.

Chef Paolo sees himself as a simple person who tries his best to make everybody happy, especially when eating. Outside of work, he still works hard, improving his surfing and athletic abilities