Cristina Dennstedt sits down with restaurateur Jacopo Falleni, the owner behind Nonna in Westlake Village, CA and the recently opened Sette Sorelle in Newbury Park, CA.

Jacopo shares the story of his journey from Florence to New York and eventually California, and how those experiences shaped his approach to hospitality, leadership, and building community through restaurants.

Despite joking that his advice to entrepreneurs is “don’t open a restaurant,” Jacopo also reveals why the work becomes an addiction — and how his passion for growth, team culture, and storytelling has helped him build both successful restaurants and a strong social media presence.

In this conversation, Jacopo talks about the realities of restaurant ownership, the importance of relationships and resilience, and the drive that keeps entrepreneurs pushing forward even when the industry is challenging.

GET YOUR TICKETS: The 2nd annual Conejo Valley Visionaries LIVE Female Founders event will take place at Hub101 in Westlake Village on March 24. Get your tickets to the event here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-conejo-valley-visionaries-live-female-founders-series-tickets-1984436369601?aff=Jacapo

Connect with Conejo Valley Visionaries ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Nonna here

Connect with Sette Sorelle here⁠

If you want to share your visionary story on the podcast, send an email to conejovalleyvisionaries@gmail.com - we are always open to guest nominations!

This episode was produced by Cristina Dennstedt and Justin K. Sloan. Conejo Valley Visionaries is edited by Justin K. Sloan and ⁠J.Sloan Productions⁠.