Last night I was in San Francisco for business and ate at the bar of Ristorante Umbria. About 1/2 way through my meal, a guy hanging out at the bar – Giulio – introduced himself and we got chatting. We had a great discussion about football, the fact that the Lions were robbed and the beauty of Italy. I’m not sure what sparked it, but we started talking about our personal lives and he opened up about his story. Giulio’s story was something…he came to San Fran from Italy 25 years ago with literally nothing in his pockets in order to ‘bleach’ his life and start fresh. Lets just say he has built himself an empire – which includes his most treasured asset; Ristorante Umbria. He had so much insight to share, we ended up having most of a bottle of wine together and I stopped him many times to jot down notes.
I could write an essay on all of his insights, but one stood out among all the others.
- Being scared is the worst thing…the worst.
His continued success in the very competitive restaurant scene of downtown San Francisco boils down to looking at life as a series of ongoing learning experiences, being hands on with his restaurant and really really loving what he does. His passion was infectious and I was honoured he opened up to me – a complete stranger sitting at his bar.
I left dinner amazed with my head spinning and I learned many things from Guilio. His insights will stick with me and I’ll for sure return to his restaurant when I’m back in town to chat further. He looks at life in such an amazing way, is fearless and is using that passion formula! I can only hope he shares his thoughts and story with more people!
Be fearless, never be scared. Thank you Giulio.
The Passion Formula 
I have known Giulio since 1999. He has had an amazing life. I have seen him share his passion for life with so many. He is one of a kind for sure.