My Favorite Cigar
Tom Celani • Winemaker and Entrepreneur • Zino Platinum Crown Series Chubby Especial
Plenty of ventures have kept Tom Celani busy over the years. He is the owner of Celani Family Vineyards, a Tuscan-style estate in California that reminds him of his youth, when he made wine with his grandfather. He grew Action Distributors into one of the largest Miller Beer distributors in the United States. He once owned casinos and until recently he owned the largest Harley Davidson dealership in the Midwest.
Celani’s latest business is Big Rock Italian Chophouse, a fine-dining establishment in Birmingham, Michigan, complete with a posh cigar club. Opened this summer with his longtime associate Dario Bergamo and Cameron Mitchell, the founder and CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Big Rock is a 280-seat restaurant located on what used to be the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Depot. The partners orchestrated a $12.5 million transformation and restoration to turn it into an upscale eatery with an Italian steakhouse theme. The menu includes a vast wine and spirits menu.
Cigars may be a rare amenity in fine dining today, but they are no stranger to Celani, who turns 70 in December. “I have been smoking for 30 years,” he says. His go-to is the Zino Platinum Crown Series Chubby Especial from Davidoff. He also enjoys Fuentes.
