The Secret Table

There is something unique about being the guy
who is exposed daily to Beluga Caviar, Cristal
Champagne, exotic cheeses from all over the world,
accessible and inaccessible wines. On a daily basis,
Brooklynite Dominick DiBartolomeo meets some of the
most famous chefs, dignitaries, celebrities, politicians,
Lords, musicians and everything in between, all from
behind the counter of The Beverly Hills Cheese Store.
The shop has been owned and operated since 1978 by
Norbert Wabnig, one of the worlds most known
connoisseurs, collectors and purveyors of fine food.

This, however, is only what the public has access to;
Dominick is privy to a gathering of those selected few
people every-so-often in a private wine room near the
store. These assorted few have assembled there for
years to partake in a specific social ritual. At the end
of the day they come to spill over drinks and fare;
nothing fancy, no three-tiered minimalist food sculptures
to be found, just good things to eat at their simplest level.
A guest chef will come and cook a meal for the group on
the little that the store has, a small grill they keep in the
alley, as well as having access to the neighboring
restaurants. This show will reflect those very nights, an
ordinary setting for an extraordinary group, under one
common umbrella, the love and passion for all things
culinary. The Secret Table is this extraordinary event.
This would merely be a reflection of what a common
night might be like in the back room, various people
coming together, helping, partaking and contributing to a
meal, like a family at the end of the day. This feeling is an
intimate one, personal and close-up in every respect. It is
no frills; everything is kept simple like a documentary.
There is a table, a grill, a waiter and then, of course, the
guests.

We would be getting an inside look at this exclusive
gathering being educated and educating on all things
culinary in the small back room that no one knows
about and the viewer is given a seat, as it were, at
The Secret Table.

Dominick DiBartolomeo - Creator / Food Manufacturer / Entrepreneur

A native New Yorker, Dominick DiBartolomeo was raised in an environment rich with an appreciation for great food, past down through generations of old family recipes. It was here where the seeds for his love of food were planted, but it took several years and many different directions for those seeds to cultivate into the career that it has become today.

An interest in music brought Dominick to Los Angeles in 1996 where he attended the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. Looking for something more practical than music, Dominick changed his major to pre-med Psychology with a focus on Neuroscience. As a pre-med Psychology major, Dominick not only made the Dean’s List, but also was granted membership into the National Honor Society for Psychology students, Psi-Chi. He also was granted membership into the prestigious National Society for Collegiate Scholars.

After earning a Bachelors Degree in Psychology at USC, Dominick enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to pursue a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Doctorate degree in medicine. Even though he was excelling in his school work while attending UNLV, Dominick could not ignore his heritage of growing up in an Italian household where his love for fine food was born.

Dominick’s love for fine food led him back to Los Angeles where he found work at the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. It was here where Dominick’s true talents blossomed. Shortly after starting work, Dominick introduced his family’s recipe for sun dried tomatoes to owner, Norbert Wabnig and the rest of the Cheese Store staff. Their reaction was overwhelming. Norbert immediately began selling Dominick’s sun dried tomatoes from the store. This was the birth of Dominick’s company, Domenico’s Artisanal Foods.

Initially, Dominick started out with only a few pounds of sun dried tomatoes to sell, but after a short time, the orders began to mount. In less then a year after introducing the sun dried tomatoes to the staff at the Cheese Store, Dominick began receiving orders from major restaurants and hotels nationwide. Dominick’s current clients include, The Bellagio Hotel and Casino, The Venetian Hotel and Casino, Wynn Resort, Park Place Entertainment, Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Michael Mina, Nic’s Martini Lounge, Spago, Daniel Boulud, Reese Restaurant Group, Guy Savoie, Lawry’s Restaurant Group, Drago Restaurants, Inc., and many others.

Dominick’s expertise in food does not end with his sun dried tomatoes. Dominick’s product line is constantly evolving with the seasons. Some of the more recent additions to his product line include stuffed peppers, pestos, sauces, jams, marinades, fresh tapenades, and several others.

In addition to working at the Cheese Store, Dominick consults and maintains relationships with some of the top food purveyors, restaurants and chefs in the world. He visits both national and international trade shows and is continually creating and searching for new and interesting products.

When Dominick is not working on a new recipe, consulting or working at the Cheese Store, he enjoys playing the guitar, cooking and eating delicious food and drinking fine wine with family and friends.

NORBERT WABNIG - Proprietor

Connoisseur, collector, purveyor. To gourmets who regard fine food as an art, Norbert Wabnig is the impresario of cheese. Indeed, Wabnig has traveled the world selecting the rarest and most exquisite cheeses for The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills.
Born in Vienna, Austria to a theatrical family, there was always music in the Wabnig house. In 1955, Wabnig’s family moved to foodie heaven, New Orleans. But he spent his summers in Vienna. His uncle owned a restaurant in the theater district, which was patronized by famous international actors such as Oscar Werner and Klaus Maria Brandauer. At age 12, Wabnig began working behind the counter and in the kitchen, and fell in love with it. “I really enjoyed summer sojourns. The atmosphere was very exciting – there was always something going on, “ Wabnig recalls.

Music Meets Cheese
Wabnig attended the University of New Orleans, studying political science, with a minor in philosophy, but is an accomplished musician in his own right. Upon graduation, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his music career. When he realized he would have to get a “day job” to support his music, it was only natural that he would find himself at The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, working in the store, playing music at night.
According to Wabnig, one thing led to another and eventually he had the opportunity to buy the business in 1978. “My family pushed very hard to help make it happen. For me, the store recreates the joy I experienced as a child working in my uncle’s restaurant,” Wabnig notes. At that time, The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills was more like an upscale chain store in style. Wabnig refined the store and gave it the European image, attracting celebrities and other notables just like his family’s restaurant in Vienna.

Have Cheese Will Travel
In his quest for true artisinal cheeses, Wabnig has trekked over hill and dale, visiting farms and fields, as well as major international trade shows in Paris, Cologne and Parma. According to Wabnig, he chooses his cheeses wisely. The eye, taste, rarity and availability of the product inspire him. Throughout the years, he has tasted thousands of cheeses, many with interesting stories attached.
“Because of my travels I’ve met some farmers and cheese producers that have given me tastes of some very special handmade delicacies they usually keep just for themselves and their families. Many of these rarities I get to offer to my customers,” Wabnig remarks.
Wabnig acknowledges that his travels give him a broad overview of what is being served in Europe, and clients of The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills recognize this because many of them are world travelers themselves. Today, Wabnig spends most of his time at the store, gathering information from his extensive network in the major cheese producing regions of France, Italy, Spain, England, Norway, Germany and Austria.


Just Your Friendly Neighborhood Cheese Store
“For me, The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills is a great place for people who enjoy good food and good living, and like to meet others with the same interests, “Wabnig remarks. “We are very excited about expanding the business through the Internet, but I will always remain in this location, because I enjoy the friendliness and energy of the store itself. We enjoy the chitchat with the customers about our new products and foods and wines they’ve come across on their travels. The atmosphere is very friendly and informal.
“We’ve been known to host late night jam sessions upstairs and private tasting dinners with well-known chefs and wineries. What we sell is not a staple; it’s a way of enjoying life. People don’t come to The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills because they have to, but for pleasure,” Wabnig concludes.
Wabnig resides in Topanga with his wife, and menagerie of dogs, cats and birds, who are also cheese lovers. The couple has two children