JALIL SAMAVARCHIAN
Maitre d' and Sommelier
Paolo's Restaurant

Jalil Samavarchian was born in 1946 in Tabriz, Iran, near the Turkish border. In 1969, he immigrated to California to attend college on a soccer scholarship and graduated from San Jose State University with a Masters in Industrial Education. During his college years he financed his education by waiting tables at many fine dining establishments in the Bay Area, including Paolo's.

Jalil worked within his professional field for several years, but his love of the restaurant business never left him. In 1981, he returned to Paolo's, and in 1985 became Paolo's maitre d'/sommelier. In 1991, Jalil married Paolo's second-generation owner, Carolyn Allen, the same year Paolo's moved to its RiverPark location in downtown San Jose.

Jalil is the creator of Paolo's awarding winning signature drink, Ombretta di Paolo, and Paolo's Wine Spectator Best of Excellence awarding winning wine list. He is an avid tennis player, a member of the 1966 Iranian junior Olympic soccer team and an unparalleled barbequer. Jalil enjoys wine collecting and tending his rose garden.