Italian-American barista and inventor of the latte
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffe_Mediterraneum
1927 / 1998
Berkeley
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.
Related Vectors
Espresso
Sources
Greaves, Edmund. “A Short History of the Italian Espresso," Perfect Daily Grind, February 10, 2021.
“Remembering Latte Birthplace and Quintessential Counterculture Destination Caffe Med.” Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine, April 2, 2018.