17 Monarch Bay Plaza, Monarch Beach, CA 92629 ph: 949-234-1679
Lunch Mon - Fri 11:30 am to 2:30 pm Dinner Mon - Sun 5:00 pm - 11:00pm
About Stells‘s
Stella’s is the boyhood dream of Brooklyn, New York’s own Joseph Morano. Joe is the serious Italian and driving force behind Stella’s and is a man with two consistent themes in his life: great Italian food and friends. Joe’s continued success is based on his ability to bring these two passions together to create continuity and a place where others want to be.
Stella
According to the Latin origin of the word, Stella means star, but to the creators of Stella’s, the name refers to the spirit of hospitality that inhabits the restaurant. The female portraits in the restaurant represent the many aspects of femininity that inspire the dining experience, from skill in the kitchen to companionable warmth, and a tasteful measure of sensual appeal.
Joseph Morano
New York native Joseph “Joe” Morano has extensive experience as a restaurateur, having operated restaurants in Las Vegas and Palm Springs before relocating to Orange County. After launching two successful ventures in Orange County – Sopranos in Costa Mesa and Ciao on Balboa Island – Morano found the location he’d been seeking. Stella’s at Monarch Beach Plaza offers an attractive setting complete with an ocean view in an area ready for a contemporary and upscale “serious” Italian eatery. Morano teamed with boyhood friend John Younesi and his partner Jan Yoss to bring an added dimension of sophistication to the endeavor.
John Younesi & Jan Yoss
John Younesi and Jan Yoss are partners in the law firm of Younesi & Yoss, with offices in Los Angeles and in Costa Mesa. The firm represents clients throughout the United States and abroad.
John Younesi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California – Los Angeles, graduating summa cum laude. He received his J.D. degree at Loyola School of Law. During his career, he has worked with luminaries such as John Anderson, after whom the UCLA business school was named, and with Casper Weinberger. Younesi has represented management clients against several of the largest unions in the country, including the Teamsters, Carpenters, Meat Cutters, Long Shoremen, Laborers and Electrical Workers unions. He currently handles varied transactions and litigation for clients in the fields of business, real estate, sports, and entertainment. As a reflection of his interest in sports, he owns and operates the NBA's LA Summer League and co-owner of the NBA Development League Anaheim Arsenal.
Jan Yoss received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications from the University of Illinois – Urbana, earning Phi Beta Kappa honors. She received her J.D. degree from the University of California – Los Angeles, where she was a member of the Communications Law Journal. Yoss currently represents diverse clients primarily in the areas of employment, real estate and general business litigation. She assists her partner Younesi in the operation, administration and marketing of the NBA's LA Summer League and is also a co-owner of the Anaheim Arsenal. She is a past president of the Los Angeles County Bar Associations Barristers, and has served as a trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and a judge pro tem.