About Santé
“I started Santé in 2020 as a way to connect to wine and food during a time when restaurants were in crisis. I started doing Zoom wine classes for friends and family. Then we moved onto doing pop-up dinners out of our apartment in South Philly, and now we’ve evolved into a business focused on collaborative classes, dinners, wine tastings, and anything else we can think of that helps celebrate our producers, chefs, and community. We are focused on partnerships that help build community and a shared love for good food and drink. Looking to the future we are planning trips and excursions to our favorite wine regions to bring our guests even deeper into the glass.
Santé means cheers in French, and that moment of bringing our glasses together to celebrate life…that’s worth everything.”
—Daniel Solway
Meet Daniel Solway
Daniel Solway is a Philadelphia-based sommelier and wine specialist and Sommsation member. Santé is his passion project.
Santé is a true labor of love. It started as Zoom wine classes for friends and family, a way to stay busy and offer something unique to those in quarantine during the pandemic. Eager to pour wine for people again, but not quite ready to work at a restaurant, Daniel decided to start hosting dinner parties in his apartment. Santé has evolved into a unique food & wine community. No two dinners are the same, with Daniel hosting different chefs from around the city, highlighting unique culinary voices and challenging diners perceptions of wine and food.
Daniel has worked on vineyards in Champagne, Austria, and most recently Germany, with cult producer Wasenhaus. He has worked at many reputable restaurants and wine shops including Oxalis, June, Henry’s Wine & Spirits, and DiBrunos. Most recently he did a residency in Arbois, France at Les Closerie Les Capucines with chef and collaborator Jay Rodriguez from Hera. He is committed to making wine more accessible, sustainable, and enjoyable. He loves large format bottles, porròns, and bringing a little ruckus to the party.
Monty is a certified sommelier with specialties in Italian wine, Ancient Wine and Wine Education. She’s partial to skin contact wine and renegade food and wine pairings.
Originally from the Southeast, she learned the true meaning of southern hospitality that has informed her career of nearly 13 years. The magic moment that solidified her descent into wine madness happened in Chicago, where she was inspired by sommeliers who broke the tradition of white glove service and helped inspire a dream that wine could be fun, charismatic, and accessible.
Monty has worked in many types of spaces: wine bars, high volume restaurants, private chef dinners, classroom settings and even co-owned a small business with a chef partner in 2020. No matter where you find her, Monty strives to invite guests into a wine world that is ever changing and unrestricted.
You can find her on days off hiking with her pup, Rudy or dancing at the nearest emo night.
Meet Monty Younkins
Meet Alessandra Bonafide
With seven years of professional culinary experience across high-end restaurants, small food businesses, and farm-to-table kitchens, Alessandra's work centers on creating memorable dining experiences through organic, local, and seasonal ingredients - connecting people more deeply with the land, their communities, and themselves.
Holding a Grand Diploma from the International Culinary Center in Manhattan, Alessandra specializes in Italian and French technique and cuisine, and honed her skills at esteemed establishments including Jean-Georges' restaurant The Mercer Kitchen and Food Network's Test Kitchen. Her repertoire diversified during her time as Sous Chef at The Stand Vegan Cafe in Fairfield, CT, and the James- Beard nominated Heavy Metal Sausage Co. in Philadelphia, a salumeria, butcher-shop and restaurant.
Most recently, Alessandra gained invaluable experience working at Tenuta di Spannocchia, an organic farm in Tuscany. Here, she spent three months refining her pasta making and bread skills, which she now shares with guests through private dinners and cooking classes in Philadelphia. When she is not in the kitchen, you’ll find her foraging for edible gems in nature, traveling domestically and abroad, and frequenting karaoke bars.