ABOUT
Altovino is a charming neighborhood restaurant offering a rotating menu of thoughtfully composed dishes that showcase the progression of the San Francisco seasons and capture the spirit of the regional Italian table.
The wine list encompasses a range of Italian wine, both classic and unique.
NICK KELLY Chef, Owner
CALLI MARTINEZ Owner, Wine Director
Nick began his cooking career at the wise old age of 8 when he helped peel apples after school at his parents' Napa Valley catering company. Raised by a savory chef father and pastry chef mother, he worked from childhood throughout high school in every conceivable role in the company. Nick attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and externed at the celebrated Martini House in St Helena, CA. After graduation he accepted a job there and quickly rose through the ranks from line cook to sous chef. After a 5-year tenure at Martini House, Nick earned his first Chef de Cuisine position at Barbacco in San Francisco and spent the next 4 years
winning the hearts of staff and guests alike with his thoughtful regionally-inspired dishes. After departing Barbacco, Nick embarked with Calli on a three month journey throughout Italy that took them from the Dolomites in the North East to the beaches of Sicily in the South and everything in between. Nick was fortunate enough to gain experience working with various Italian chefs in several different restaurants, learning even more clearly about the intricacies of the regional tables of Italy. After several more years working in the management levels of the kitchens at Perbacco and Volta (also owned by Staffan Terje and Umberto Gibin of Barbacco) Nick joined forces with Claudio Villani at Cole Valley's beloved wine bar Inovino. A year later, they opened Altovino together with Kelly once again capturing the hearts of the neighborhood with rotating, hand-made pasta, antipasti and the epically portioned Bistecca alla Fiorentina.
Calli grew up eyeing every vacant storefront she saw with the eyes of a future entrepreneur. She always imagined a life in hospitality, which is what brought her to California. After graduating from Washington State University Calli moved to the Bay Area and attended the Cinta AVEDA Institute in order to earn her California Esthetician's License. As she worked towards this license, she also worked in restaurants, soon finding her way to Barbacco, where she fell in love with Italian wine. After spending time traveling through Italy with Nick, she returned to San Francisco with a renewed interest in pursuing her studies in wine and a future in restaurant ownership as the hospitality career that she imagined as a