Vanessa Uteau was born and raised in France. She spent all of her childhood and formative years immersed in the hotel and restaurant world. She took her passion from her grand-father who was a chef and opened his own hotel in 1954.
Vanessa became the F&B director after her mom took over the hotel in 1998. In 2001, she moved to Reunion Island where she decided to formalize her training and experience with a degree in “Hotel and Restaurant Management”. She started working for the Accor group at “The Novotel” In Saint-Gilles-Les-Bains in the restaurant’s marketing department. In 2010, she moved to Costa Rica and became the F&B director for “The Lazy Wave” restaurant. In 2011, Vanessa became a successful owner and operator for “Lean and Green Cafe”. She opened her second location in 2016 and sold her business in 2020 after securing a lease at the UTC mall for her new restaurant.
Unfortunately, Covid hit the world and the construction of the new building where Vanessa had secured the lease from had to stop its construction until mid 2021.
At this time, Vanessa re-envisioned her concept and decided to create one that would be both Covid and recession proof.
Everyone still in the restaurant business thought she was “crazy” to embark on a new restaurant project when she was able to get out of her prior restaurants. So, she decided to call her new project “Pazza Market &
Cucina”. “Pazza” means “Crazy” in Italian 😉
About Vanessa Uteau
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I am divorced and have 2 children. Tiara, my daughter, 19 years old and Teva, my son, 17 years old
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
I worked in the hospitality industry most of my life after a 15 year career in the film industry as a script supervisor.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Just because it’s not happening when you expect it to, doesn’t mean it will never happen.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Owning multiple locations of my current restaurant Pazza.
Vanessa Uteau & Our Community
Q: What are a few of your favorite restaurants in our community?
Et Voila for French food; Cowboy Star for Steak.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
I have lived and worked here since 2010
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
A man named Tony Cohen who lives in O.B and who helps the community by planting plants and give martial art classes
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
My own, Lean and Green Cafe
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
I love the fact that we are so close to Mexico and able to cross the border just to go eat and come back in the same day
Q: If you could choose anyone alive today and not a relative, with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would you meet for this lunch?
My girlfriends who went back to France because I miss them and we would not have lunch but go the Shout House!
For Fun
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
Amelie Poulain
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
My uncle was the inventor of the DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) and has trained people all around the world to learn his technique to help people with Parkinson’s Disease and he is the one who saved my son when he got his brain disease in 2017
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
A score that can still get better
Q: Who or what inspires you to be better?
Tenacity
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never quit
Q: What Neighborhood do you live in?
Clairemont Bay Ho
What I love about my Neighborhood:
Small businesses that remind me of a European feel
Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend:
Going for a hike on the beach with my dog and then heading out to dinner on the bay overlooking the Ocean
Q: Finally, what three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Rest, tranquility, serenity
