Step into Old Brea Chop House and you’ll be transported to the kind of plush steak house experience you’d expect to find in Chicago or New York – a place where you wouldn’t be surprised if Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack magically waltzed right in and took a corner booth. The owner, Tony Faluso, was a bigwig at Morton’s Steak House for two decades, and the chef knows what to do with great cuts of meat and seafood (the delicious Tomahawk must be as big as your head).
But the guy you want to talk to about what to pair with a prime rib or King Crab Oscar is Steven Ashworth. He’s the-rare-for-an-American Italian Master Sommelier, but is also a self-described “knowledge junkie,” conversant in all aspects of wine service and food pairing, not to mention world history and geography – someone with a general gift of gab.
You can often find him holding court in the dining room, spinning fascinating tales about a wine’s journey to your table. A former track athlete who competed in Europe, a college professor and a wine consultant, Ashworth (just call him Steve) admits he had a “very convoluted” path to his current career, but all that life experience just adds to his expertise.
Wine Director Steven Ashworth, the sommelier at the Old Brea Chop House, in Brea, CA, on Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
When did you first fall in love with wine?
While competing in Europe, I got exposed to wine, and kind of fell in love with it. People say that we have these defining moments in our lives, you know, that kind of form and mold us. The things that we do are the things that we become. For me, that was definitely the case.
It was 1989. I was traveling through Europe and had just finished a major competition. A friend of mine invited me out to dinner to a little family-run restaurant in Milan. At the time, I liked wine, but didn’t know a lot about it. I could tell you the difference between a Cabernet and a Pinot Noir, but beyond that, I didn’t know a whole lot. Anyway, we went to this dinner and the wine poured was the one that left a mark on me: Nozzole Chianti Classico Riserva, the 1986 vintage.
It wasn’t particularly fancy wine, but I was like, oh my God, I’ve never tasted anything like this in my life.
Is that why you became an expert in Italian wines in particular?
When I was competing in Europe, I was based in Italy. I lived in Florence on and off for the better part of about a dozen years and fell in love with it. Then I started studying Italian wine very naively, not knowing that Italy is hands down the hardest region of the world to learn. I’m glad no one told me that in the beginning, because it probably would’ve slowed me down – but, then again, maybe not.
More ‘Going Places’
This story is part of a collection of stories printed Sunday, May 29, 2022.
Take the train to explore great Southern California restaurants – and save gas
Here are 7 must-try Southern California restaurants for dedicated foodies
Here’s a taste of some of the best Black-owned restaurants in L.A.
Read more ‘Going Places’
More SCNG Premium content
Why is Italy the most difficult wine region to study?
Think about Italy as a country, how long it is. It covers a lot of ground from top to bottom, right? And then you factor in the fact that there are two islands as well with Sarnia and Sicily – there are a lot of microclimates. There are more great varietals grown in Italy than literally the entire rest of the world combined. Some of the finest wine I’ve ever drank in my life has been produced in a little backyard vineyard, and the only place you can get the wine is in a restaurant where they literally serve it out of a barrel.
Choosing a wine can be intimidating for the uninitiated. What’s your best advice for average folks?
I’m the most unstuffy sommelier anyone will ever meet simply because all that matters to me is, do you like what’s in your glass? If it’s a $10 bottle of wine and you love it, that’s a great bottle of wine. If it’s a $300 bottle and you’re like, eh, it’s okay, then it’s not worth it. It might be amazing for someone like me or someone with a more refined pallet – or someone for whom the price tag matters. But to be honest, throw out any rules that you’ve ever heard. At the end of the day, all that really matters is, do you like it?