Lino Meiorin

Lino Meiorin was an Italian-American and co-owner of the famous Café Mediterranean, in Berkeley California.

He was one of the first Italian-trained baristas in the Bay Area and is considered the inventor of the iconic "latte," which was first introduced in his Café in 1959. According to the story as it was originally reported on the Café's website:

"Customers were not used to the strong flavor of a traditional Italian cappuccino and would ask Lino for more milk. Speaking in Italian, he would tell the barista to put more 'latte' (milk) in their cup. Finally he thought of putting a larger drink on the menu with  the same amount of espresso but more steamed milk, and calling it latte.  At first it was served in a bowl but soon they switched to a pint beer glass."

Originally limited to the Bay Area, the latte would be popularized in Seattle, Washington in the early 1980s and spread more widely in the US in the early 1990s.

Lino died in 1998, but his latte is now a ubiquitous menu item in American cafés of all kinds.

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