Owner and Executive Chef Albano Ballerini grew up in the kitchens of Porto Recanati, on the Adriatic Coast of Italy. After coming to New York and working as a commercial photographer, Albano opened Aliseo in 2003. His vision for the restaurant was to offer guests a transformative, multi-sensory experience through the right balance of atmosphere, people, wine and food. At Aliseo, the process of making food is just as important as the finished product. Fresh pastas are made daily, incorporating honey, farro flour and herbs. A range of traditional salumi are made and aged on the premises. Most of Aliseo’s produce come from local farms, along with the majority of the fish and meat on the menu. The wine list is a carefully crafted catalogue of the Marche’s most interesting wines, with a great selection of bottles from lesser-known wine producers from the rest of Italy. Each wine is estate-bottled and made exclusively from native regional grapes.