Eric Dominijanni is a extremely educated renaissance man who survived the likes of Fallujah, beat Bobby Flay and created a mix of Scotch whiskey, regardless of not being an enormous drinker a lot of his life. The Miami resident hopes to hit 10,000 circumstances in gross sales this 12 months of his Fior Scotch model. It has received double gold medals on the San Francisco World Spirits Competitors and New York World Spirits Competitors, together with a 93 score at The New York Worldwide Spirits Competitors.
There’s one other entire fascinating backstory, although, earlier than we get to his Fior Scotch model.
Dominijanni was born to an Italian father and black mom and mentioned he was an enormous nerd who favored cooking reveals rising up in Queens. “When my friends were reading comic books, I was reading “The Iliad,” I used to be studying ‘The Odyssey.” … Hercules was my Superman; Achilles was my Batman after I was a child as a result of my mother had a classical training.”
His mother was a dance teacher, so he took ballet and faucet dancing, however in his neighborhood doing that was a great way to get overwhelmed up. As a substitute, he bought into martial arts, which really shares some strategies with dance. “It was my reason to be,” he says.
He was additionally captain of his highschool observe staff and ran in faculty as properly, capturing some college information alongside the best way. “My buddies best described me as a nerd who can catch you and beat you up,” he says.
He got interested within the army simply earlier than faculty commencement and visited a Navy recruiter and talked about being a medic as an eventual pathway to medical college, however realized he didn’t like the concept of sitting round a hospital.
“I was like, no, I actually really do want to get dirty and have a gun and all that other great stuff,” he remembers.
As he walked out, one other recruiter’s voice boomed out, “Do you think you have what it takes to be a Marine?” Dominijanni says he responded, “‘Do you know who I am? I’ve been training in kung fu since I was seven years old. I could beat you up right now.’ He completely read me as an alpha male and suckered me. So, I joined the Marine Corps.”
He was with the Corps on the push from Kuwait to Baghdad and was stationed in Camp Fallujah, which was the Wild West of Iraq, he says. Later, he lived off base in Fallujah and was a liaison, coaching the police within the area. He additionally spent a short while in Afghanistan.
Whereas he was with the Marines, he entered some native cooking competitions in North Carolina, he says. “And probably the greatest thing that could ever happen to me in my life was I went up against Bobby Flay on ‘Throwdown with Bobby Flay,’ Season one, Episode five.”
The outline for the episode says, “Eric Dominijanni, a.k.a. Captain D., is a proud Marine with a mission — to grill his award-winning steaks as a morale booster to his men. What nobody knows is that Bobby Flay will roll up and challenge him to a steak Throwdown.”
Dominijanni says, “Not only did I go up against a god, I won.”
The Meals Community provided reveals and Weber Grills needed Dominijanni as a spokesman.
“But I can’t leave my Marines. I’m about to go to Iraq,” he remembers. “I’ve been training with these guys. Well, what kind of person would I be if I left? So, I wound up saying, ‘OK, I’m going to go to culinary school eventually.’”
After the Corps, he went to Johnson & Wales and wound up learning in Singapore and Thailand, his curiosity in Asian meals impressed by his first girlfriend, who was Chinese language. He deliberate to review in New Mexico, Cyprus and North Africa, however Covid hit and shattered his plans. After a protracted wait, he determined to go to pursue a doctorate in training on the College of Miami.
However, there was this long-time curiosity in Scotch. It began when he went to a bar and requested for rum. The bartender advised him it was a Scotch bar. “So, I was like, teach me. He said, ‘What?’ I pulled out my credit card, threw it on the table. I was like, ‘Teach me – just don’t rip me off. I don’t know anything about Scotch.’”
The bartender gave an introductory course on several types of Scotch. Dominijanni bought the bug and jumped proper into it, constructing his personal assortment.
For somebody who makes his personal ice cream, sausage, salami and beer, it was inevitable that he was going to make his personal Scotch mix, he says. He did the blending himself at first and it was a success at his dinner events.
He considered how his uncle Luciano had somebody make wine for him and the way his former colonel within the Corps did the identical with cigars. A bell went off in his head and Dominijanni turned to a longtime pal from faculty, James Landis, whose household has been within the wine and spirits enterprise for 4 generations.
Dominijanni gave him a bottle of his favourite home made mix, however nothing occurred however discuss for a number of months. Then, Dominijanni acquired three tasting containers. The second appeared like a reproduction of his mix, made in Scotland.
At first, Dominijanni simply bought small batches for himself and his mates, who then urged him to start out promoting it.
Landis mentioned he favored the Scotch sufficient to purchase it himself. They went into enterprise collectively, however they wanted a reputation.
At first, Domijanni didn’t like Landis’ suggestion of “fior.” The phrase means flower in Italian—he wasn’t promoting wine, in any case—however Fior means “true” in Scottish Gaelic, with a connotation of pure and clear that Dominijanni embraced.
Domijanni’s buddies and former Marines normally supported his efforts by shopping for a number of bottles and circumstances, many paying a bit additional to get their names engraved.
Fior is offered in New York, New Jersey, South Carolina and on-line, plus by means of some Scotch of the Month golf equipment. He expects Fior Scotch to be accessible in Florida quickly at Whole Wines & Extra. A simple technique to get it’s to go to www.fiorscotch.com the place it sells for $41.99. Among the proceeds profit veterans’ causes.
Fior Scotch has already offered 5,000 circumstances, and Domijanni needs to hit 10,000 this 12 months.
Domijanni says consuming Scotch is like an occasion, akin to stress-free with mates and smoking cigars. There may be some reality to the stereotype that it’s loved by older skilled males, he says.
He like his Scotch straight up, however says it’s actually as much as the imbiber as as to whether you add some water, put in an ice dice for only a bit to relax it or combine it in a drink. The Fior web site has recipes.
What’s his recommendation to a novice Scotch drinker? “I would say the first thing you need to do is forget that it’s a drink. Remember that it’s an event to get your mind, your body, your soul into drinking a scotch—be surrounded by good friends and family. That’s it.”
