A Debonair Man - Meet Joseph Campanale

The Debonair Man must know his food. This doesn’t mean he must know how to find the most expensive restaurant and order the priciest wine on the list, or cook a meal that would make even the most snooty French chef faint at heart.

We can’t all be on expense accounts every night.

Instead, the Debonair Man should be able to pick a fun and stylish restaurant with good food, without being intimidated to choose a reasonable bottle of wine. He should also be able to throw together a few dishes at home and mix a proper cocktail, just in case the Debonair’s woman might be coming over.

I have cooked in some of New York City’s finest kitchens, sold expensive wine to the wealthy, worked in wine education under America’s first female Master of Wine, lived throughout Europe and, for many years, been a struggling student and aspiring man about town. As a native New Yorker, I’ve spent my life and dollars going to restaurants, sampling bottles of wine and cooking endless amounts of meals. I’ve picked up a few tricks along the way, and I’m eager to share them with you. After all, we live in the greatest city on Earth, and it would be a shame not to eat our way through it.

		Joseph Campanale Joseph Campanale is a sommelier at Babbo restaurant and the Food and Wine editor of Debonair. He is a Certified Wine Educator, a Certified Sommelier and is pursuing his master's degree in Food Studies at New York University. He is a native New Yorker and resides in the East Village.