Today we’d like to introduce you to Dahlia & Raffaele Martini
Hi Dahlia & Raffaele, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Martini & Company delivers a never before seen approach to eloquent dining in the Texas Hill Country. Italian – American couple, Raffaele and Dahlia Martini bring an authentic Italian dining experience right to your home. Raffaele is a level 3 Sommelier who attended school at AIS Arezzo and Roma in the early 2000’s. Dahlia is a Boerne native who moved to Rome in 2014 for an internship when she first met Raffaele. The couple lived in Rome for their first two years together, before moving to Boerne and then Cortona, Tuscany.
Martini & Co first launched in 2018 as a blog. Our family of 3 moved from Boerne to Raffaele’s hometown of Cortona and Martini & Co highlighted local events, local businesses and recipes. We thought it would be a great way to connect with local business owners and potentially make new friends.
We moved back to Boerne shortly after we learned we were expecting twins, 11 months since our adventure began. Rafe and I had such a vision for our company- we knew what we wanted it to be one day, but we didn’t know how we would achieve that. Maybe Martini & Co could look different. Maybe we could create Italian experiences right here in Texas. We needed to fulfill our desire to share our love for Italy and we just dove into what felt right. One afternoon, We decided to advertise “Wine Pairing Dinners at YOUR HOME!” on facebook. We would bring all of the ingredients and tools needed. Shortly after, we received one inquiry from a friend for her 40th birthday party. Rafe and I put together a menu with her, and asked for her table to be set when we arrived. That evening felt like a dream for us, everything from the pre- dinner grocery shopping, to singing “Tanti Auguri” with dessert. We knew then, that this is what we love to do.
Little by little we built up dinner experiences, each one taking us a step higher on our road to building a successful business model. Eventually we started offering pasta making classes as well as pizza making. Since March of 2023, we have served over 80 events- each event unique and a beautiful arrangement of friends, family, and of course, food.
To have the pleasure of serving the community, and sharing our passion through food and wine has been the greatest blessing, we are growing and learning along our journey- and now learning how to navigate within the world of business. We bring together a blend of Italian homestyle cooking, with the elegance and charm of Italian dining and wine pairing.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been an incredible journey. The food service industry has so much to learn from. Our business is pretty niche- and we rely solely on word of mouth, so we have that drive to want everything to go perfect. Every time we enter into a home or venue, we are giving our full attention to serving our clients, and when we get to chatting and serving, those anxieties usually melt away. We try to learn from any challenge, and we have had a few, but we learn from them. Overall, when we are working, we truly enjoy what we are doing- so its hard to let ourselves feel bad whenever those rare inconveniences do come up.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We provide wine pairing dinners, pasta making classes, pizza making events, and even wine education classes. We bring all ingredients, and tools needed, and provide all of he kitchen clean up. You just provide the dishes, and table set up! We are known for our being the only authentic Italian dining experience around. We are most proud of Raffaele’s lasagna. That and his Butter Sage sauce served in the pasta class, as well as his pesto. People have stated they “want to swim in a pool of that pesto” at a christmas party. What sets us apart is that we love service. We love meeting people and we get to work with pasta, fresh focaccia bread, and wine- what could be better? So we love showing up to work.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you’d like to inquire with us about hosting your own Martini & Company event, or for reserving a date, please call us at 830-428-6090 or send us an inquiry at www.martiniandcompany.com
We are always excited to participate in markets, and public events.
Pricing:
- Pasta making Class : $85/ person
- Pizza making: $50/ person
- Wine Pairing Dinner: starting at $75-$95/ Person
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.martiniandcompany.com
- Instagram: @martini_and_company
- Facebook: Martini and Company
