Pietro Busalacchi on Food, Reality TV, & an SD Legacy

This week on Happy Half Hour, we head from a La Jolla strip mall to the glitter of LA’s reality TV scene before landing in the heart of Old Town. Pietro Busalacchi—bartender, hustler, and heir to one of San Diego’s most iconic restaurant families—joins us to talk about growing up in Little Italy, working at Lisa Vanderpump’s TomTom, and how he brought that chaos and charm back home to launch Trattoria Don Pietro, El Sueño, and TAKO, his bold Mexican-style sushi bar. 

Later, co-hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant share industry stories like a tree catching fire on set, surprise tequila nights with Nickelback, and why escargot and Dover sole at Bistro du Marché still make Troy emotional. Plus, in food news: Bianchi opens at the Bahia, PopUp Bagels lands in San Diego, and College Area scores a maximalist burger joint.

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