Laura Francisco Opened Radici to Honor Their Sacrifices and Share the Food That Shaped Her Childhood

For Laura Francisco, that story is more than a charming image; it is her life. Laura’s mother, Lucia Gasbarri, first taught her those lessons decades ago, shaping a family tradition that would ultimately lead to the opening of Radici in Hermosa Beach years later.

Lucia grew up in a home where cooking was not simply a tradition; it was a necessity. Laura’s grandmother, Nonna Laurina, raised four children on her own, and money was scarce.

By age 12, Lucia and her sister were standing on stools at the kitchen table, learning how to roll pasta dough and prepare the meals that would feed their family. It was there that Lucia discovered her love of cooking.

“My mother learned to cook very young because she had to,” Laura says. “From that point on, it became her passion.”

That passion filled Laura’s childhood with the aromas of simmering sauces and handmade meals.

“We grew up with fresh, homemade dinners every night,” she recalls. “My mom loved impressing my father with new dishes. She was always experimenting and creating.”

Laura’s parents had immigrated to the United States from a small village in the Abruzzo region of Italy called Pacentro, nestled in the mountains east of Rome.

“It’s a very small village,” Laura explains. “Everyone returns every year with their families. It’s incredibly rooted in tradition.”

Those traditions traveled with them across the Atlantic. The family first settled in New Jersey before making a bold move west. Laura was age 13 and her siblings were 10, 5 and 4 when her parents packed up the family and relocated to California.

Like so many immigrant families, the move was driven by sacrifice and determination. Both of Laura’s parents had only elementary school educations. Yet through persistence and sharp business instincts, they built successful restaurants. They also made a point of settling in communities with strong school systems, determined to give their children opportunities they never had themselves.

In the San Fernando Valley, Laura’s parents opened their first pizzeria, a major career shift for her father, who had previously worked as a welder.

“He never cooked a day in his life until the restaurant,” Laura says with a laugh. “But he ended up making the best linguine and clams and became the pizza man.”

Lucia ran the kitchen while her husband worked the front of house, pouring drinks and welcoming guests as if they were family. What began as a modest pizzeria eventually grew into a series of restaurants, ultimately taking the family to Palm Springs, where they operated a bustling 250-seat restaurant that attracted a lively mix of locals, as well as entertainers and athletes who frequented the desert city.

The restaurant world formed the backdrop of Laura’s childhood. But like many children of restaurateurs, she wasn’t sure it was the life she wanted for herself.

After graduating from San Diego State University, she chose a different path, first working in retail at Nordstrom before moving into logistics, where she met her husband. Eventually the couple settled in Palos Verdes, and Laura stepped away from her career to raise their two children.

For the next 20 years, motherhood became her full-time focus. “I really didn’t do anything but raise my kids. Our house was always full. We had kids over all the time. We were cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

When her children eventually left home, the sudden quiet felt strange. Returning to the workforce after two decades was intimidating.

“I remember thinking, ‘I don’t even know how to talk to adults anymore,’” she laughs.

Her first step back came through a small boutique on Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach. The experience helped rebuild her confidence and slowly revived an idea that had quietly lived in the back of her mind for years.

“I always thought it would be fun to open a small restaurant someday and showcase our culture and our food,” she says.

The idea carried a bittersweet undertone. Laura’s father, who had always hoped one of his four children might continue the family’s restaurant legacy, had passed away years earlier from pancreatic cancer. At the time, none of the siblings wanted to take on the demanding business he had built. It wasn’t until after his passing that Laura felt herself drawn toward it.

“This restaurant is really about honoring my father and my mother and all their hard work,” she says.

In 2015, Laura purchased the Hermosa Beach space that would eventually become Radici restaurant. What she initially expected to be a quick renovation turned into a full remodel that stretched over two years before the restaurant finally opened in 2017.

“I didn’t know anything about OpenTable or marketing,” she admits of those daunting early days. “I literally just put a little flashing ‘Open’ sign in the window.”

What she did know was the kind of food she wanted to serve: authentic Italian cooking rooted in the traditions of Abruzzo.

“That region is known for what used to be considered peasant food,” Laura explains. “It’s simple cooking, but everything has to be fresh.”

True Italian cuisine, she says, is deceptively simple, relying on beautiful ingredients prepared with care and respect. At Radici, everything is made from scratch, and many ingredients are sourced from local farmers—a philosophy that results in dishes that feel both deeply authentic and unmistakably delicious.

To ensure the food stayed true to those traditions, Laura turned to the person who first taught her: her mother. Convincing Lucia to return to the kitchen, however, took some persuasion.

“My mom always says if you really don’t like someone, give them a restaurant for free,” Laura laughs.

Eventually Lucia agreed to help—but with one firm condition: Laura could not change her recipes. Today those recipes remain the heart of Radici’s menu. The gnocchi are prepared the same way Laura remembers from childhood, and the sauces begin with tomatoes she personally selects at local farmers markets.

“In the summer I’ll pick anywhere from 50 to 200 pounds of tomatoes,” she says. They are roasted, milled and transformed into the restaurant’s signature pomodoro sauce.

Even the restaurant’s name carries deep meaning. Radici means “roots” in Italian, a name suggested by Laura’s daughter.

“It resonated immediately,” Laura says. “Roots are about heritage and where we come from.”

Today Lucia still travels from Palm Springs every few weeks to spend time at the restaurant. Without the pressure of running the kitchen full time, she can cook, visit with guests and watch the next chapter of the family story unfold.

For Laura, Radici is more than a restaurant. It is the continuation of a legacy that began long ago in a small Italian village and traveled across continents to the South Bay.

Her father never lived to see Radici open, but Laura believes he would understand exactly what it represents.

“I know he’s here,” she says softly. “He’s all over this place.”