Maurice Carrubba—also known as the Warren Buffett of restaurateurs—has a knack for finding classic restaurants with great bones and transforming them into go-to dining experiences. Born and raised in Sicily, Maurice moved to Silicon Valley in 1989 where he now runs a restaurant group and a catering company and employs over 150 people. Maurice also runs a nearby farm that sustains two of his restaurants, and he is working to reduce his carbon footprint and foster a culture of respecting and taking care of the earth to younger generations. Tune in to hear all about how Maurice is revolutionizing the food industry.

Before any world-changing innovation, there was a moment, an event, a realization that sparked the idea before it happened. This is a podcast about that moment — about that idea. Before IT Happened takes you on a journey with the innovators who imagined — and are still imagining — our future. Join host Donna Loughlin as her guests tell their stories of how they brought their visions to life.

JUMP STRAIGHT INTO:

(03:17) - From Sicily to Silicon Valley - “My father, who was an artist with masonry and stonework, they seeked him out, found him all the way in Sicily, flew him out. He looked at the job, he says, ‘Yeah, I can do this.’ They were like, ‘Well, 12 other people have told us you you couldn’t do it. Are you sure you can do it?’”

(09:26) - Opening the first family-run restaurant - “My father said, ‘Look, how about we put a little coffee shop here? Would you mind? You know, I'd love to do that. I want to do something with my kids.’ He knew I loved food at a very young age and I said, ‘Dad, I'd love the opportunity.’”

(11:30) - Dishes that define family and taste like tradition - “We love to eat. There's so many different dishes, but I guess it depends on the time of year.”

(15:45) - The Warren Buffett of restaurants - “I purchased some companies that were very good companies, but unfortunately had challenges and operations issues. I was able to take those companies and take those customers and build those companies back up from there.”

(18:31) - The GrandView and growing the restaurant group - “When we purchased the property, we knew it was going to be a huge undertaking. There was a lot of work that needed to be done structurally.”

(28:07) - Grandview Farms and the philosophy behind it - “We don't use any pesticides. We dry farm when we can. The property is all on solar. We compost our scraps from our restaurants.”

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Connect with Maurice on Linkedin and Twitter

Learn more about Grandview Farms

Visit Maurice’s restaurants and venues Caffe Riace, The GrandView, La Foret, Osteria Toscana Palo Alto and San Benito House

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Before IT Happened is produced by Donna Loughlin and StudioPod Media with additional editing and sound design by nodalab. All episodes are written and developed by Susanna Camp. The Show Coordinator is Nicole Genova and the Executive Producer is Katie Sunku Wood.