Matteo has been involved in the bar industry since he was 16 where he got a summer job working at the cost near Rome.

When he turned 18 he moved to London to improve his bar skills and level of English. Since then he has developed his career and reached the position of Lounge Manager.

Matteo has taken part in many internal and national competitions including Sidecar by Remy Martin, Beluga Masterclass and Louis XIII Cognac.

He has been the driving force behind five cocktail lists at the St James Bar at the Sofitel St James Hotel. While working there, they won Imbibe 2020 for the best cocktail list in the UK.

Matteo loves cognac and fine spirits. He studied wine and spirits with the WSET program achieving level 2.

Matteo believes that as a bar tender it’s the emotions that you create and serve, not the drinks, the wine or cocktails – it’s the emotion that people will remember forever, he feels this is the biggest satisfaction in his job and why he enjoys it so much.