Women in Family Business Committee to Host Cinco de Mayo Networking Event
The Women in Family Business Committee, an affinity group of the Family Business Program at St. John Fisher University, will host a Cinco de Mayo networking event at Old Pueblo Grill’s Victor location.
Women from family businesses are invited to connect, share experiences, and learn from one another. The event will run from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 28, at Old Pueblo Grill (235 High St Ext, Victor, NY 14564).
Erica Sysol ’09, visiting assistant professor of accounting and family business faculty member at Fisher, along with her parents, John ’82 and Jacqueline Nacca, will host the event. The Naccas are copartners in the restaurant in collaboration with Executive Chef Joe Zolnierowski IV and real estate agent Pete Lezeska.
At the event, Zolnierowski will lead guests through a margarita tasting and guacamole-making tutorial, while Sysol and the Naccas share how Old Pueblo Grill has become a family affair for its owners. Each business partner for Old Pueblo Grill has family members involved in the venture in some capacity; for instance, Sysol provides bookkeeping services for the business.
“Our family and business partners are proud of our regional restaurants that bring families and friends together to celebrate and enjoy delicious foods. Knowing first-hand what the Fisher Women in Family Business group experiences, I’m delighted that we are able to provide a festive venue for our peers—who are the foundation of our business and community success—to gather and network,” said Sysol. “I am proud to serve as the bookkeeper for our family’s firm and see daily how my family’s and partners’ passions and hard work benefit our community.”
Old Pueblo Grill is not the first restaurant partnership between Nacca and Lezeska. The two opened Nosh in 2016 with Zolnierowski as the executive chef. The restaurant was sold in fall 2023, and the team turned their attention to their second business idea, a concept that would become Old Pueblo Grill. Zolnierowski officially joined the restaurant partnership along with Jacqueline Nacca.
As a Tucson native, Zolnierowski has infused the menu with regional flavors and Mexican-inspired cuisine. His parents–of Polish and Korean descent–also influenced his culinary style. Their heritage is reflected in the menu which features dishes inspired by their cultural background (such as the Seoul Man burrito). With the success of Old Pueblo Grill’s Rochester location, the stakeholders expanded to Victor and are close to opening a third location in Webster, which will offer a cantina-style experience.
“Fisher’s Women in Family Business Committee has a vision to bring together their peers to share common joys, opportunities, and challenges. They are inspirational business and community leaders and they know how to put on interactive, educational, and fun events—we look forward to a full house,” said Dr. Carol Wittmeyer, director of the Family Business Program.
This event is sponsored by Key Private Bank, the Family Business Program’s yearlong Cardinal Sponsor.
Tickets to the networking event are $40 and guests can register online to attend. For more information, email cwittmeyer@sjf.edu.