Accursio Lota came to the United States with the American dream in mind. He played the drums, and was drawn to California because of his love for American rock music. However, his passion for music was outweighed by one thing – his passion for cuisine. 

Originally, Lota comes from the small coastal town of Menfi, Sicily. Growing up in Italy, he was born into authentic Mediterranean dishes crafted by his mother and grandmother. His childhood was spent pressing the family’s own olives they harvested, filling up buckets of fresh sheep’s milk ricotta at neighborhood farms, and finding fresh-caught fish at local ports.