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Restaurateur Sami Ladeki Shares His Unlikely Career Path to Food

One of the most influential figures in San Diego dishes about his time in Lebanon and Las Vegas before landing in La Jolla

By Jackie Bryant October 9, 2025

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES Know the Neighborhood Where to eat, where to drink, and what it's like to live there. EXPLORE THE GUIDES

Happy Half Hour co-hosts Troy Johnson and Jackie Bryant sit down with Sami Ladeki, one of the most influential figures in San Diego dining to trace his long and unlikely career. He shares stories of leaving Lebanon in his twenties, washing dishes in Germany, running food and beverage at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and eventually landing in San Diego to open Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza in 1989.

Ladeki reflects on the rise of California-style pizza, the lessons of building a restaurant empire, and why he’s bringing back Roppongi, the La Jolla restaurant that once defined Pacific Rim cuisine in the city. Executive corporate chef Alfie Szeprethy joins him to share stories from the 1990s Roppongi kitchen and what it’s been like to help reopen the place that shaped his career, as well as what guests can expect in the new iteration.

About Jackie Bryant

Jackie is a long-time freelance journalist covering cannabis, food/restaurants, travel, labor, wine, spirits, arts & culture, design, and other topics. Her work has been selected twice for Best American Travel Writing, and she has won a variety of national and local awards for her writing and reporting.

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