Defalco Family Wines and Foods — a fresh Fountain Valley concept helmed by award-winning wine-maker Gus Defalco — will soon open at 10625 Ellis Ave Suite B, Fountain Valley, CA 92708, according to a recently-filed ABC application and confirmed by Defalco and his son Anthony. The duo will take possession of the property come April as that’s when the lease begins.
While the location is a flex space — a building that can often appear cold and industrial — the Defalcos aim to imbue their wine & food locale with authentic familial warmth.
“Being Italian, we love to eat, and we wanted to share our recipes with the rest of the world,” Anthony tells WNOC. “When you enjoy these foods, it will be just like you’re eating at our table in our home, except you won’t have to put up with us.”
Gus Defalco was once the proprietor of Orange Coast Winery in Newport Beach, an endeavor he embarked on after retiring from his longtime Costa Mesa flooring business. Additionally, Defalco previously sold his vino creations at a restaurant in Huntington Beach. However, Defalco Family Wines and Foods will be the first of its kind for the father and son, says Anthony.
As for the concept’s approach to providing fresh and authentic food, Anthony explains, “In addition to wine, we’ll also offer my family’s frozen and dry food line. We took my family’s recipes dating back to the 1800s and recreated what we could in a test kitchen. Then, we had a food laboratory recreate our other recipes – mostly jarred things – that were a little scarier to attempt ourselves.”
An interview with Gus Defalco regarding details about his wine offerings and the market/eatery’s origins is forthcoming.
