Meet Shereen Arazm Koules of Terroni LA / Dopolavoro

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shereen Arazm Koules.

Hi Shereen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been in the restaurant/food/service industry for 25 years. I think the whole story was included in the last piece your team did on me. This story I believe was going to be about Dopolavoro, the wine and cheese shop myself and my partner Cosimo Mammoliti opened a few mere weeks before the pandemic hit, located right next door to our restaurant, Terroni on Beverly Blvd

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It took some time waiting for the off sale license so we waited almost a year to get the space open which of course was very frustrating. We were so excited to finally open February 2020…and well, we all know what happened shortly after that!

We’ve been impressed with Terroni LA / Dopolavoro, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Terroni is a brand owned and created in Toronto, Canada by my partner and close friend Cosimo Mammoliti. We brought the brand to Los Angeles in 2008 to Beverly Blvd and it has become a neighborhood staple. We were thrilled to also bring the shop to the neighborhood we love so much. While Terroni’s wine program has always focused on representing all of Italy’s 20 regions and hundreds of grape varieties, Dopolavoro is an opportunity to showcase great wines from all over the world.

David Alfano, our wine director, has been with Terroni for eleven years. He travels to Italy every year for Vinitaly, the International wine and spirits exhibition, organizes Dopolavoro’s monthly wine tastings and also writes our monthly wine club newsletter.

At Dopolavoro, we try to focus on supporting wines from sustainable, organic, biodynamic and natural wine producers both domestic and abroad. Our selections run the gamut from friendly, mid-week wines to bottles for special occasions that would impress even the most seasoned curator.

Dopolavoro also has a carefully curated array of European and domestic cheese, meats and specialty grocery items that are unique and delicious, some that are hard to find anywhere else.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Our shop is definitely a collaboration between our Terroni kitchen and our talented Dopolavoro team, led by wine director David Alfano. We are a tiny but special shop that is very much supported by our neighborhood, though we’ve noticed more and more customers traveling from across LA to visit us, which of course we love and appreciate.

Contact Info:

• Email: dopolavorobeverly@gmail.com
• Instagram: @dopolavorola

Image Credits
@alfotograph