From a young age, Ozzie Fernandez felt a calling to share the culinary legacy of his Mexican ancestry.
But the founder of one of Baton Rouge’s most successful Mexican eateries took a roundabout path to starting his culinary career, Business Report details in its new entrepreneur feature.
After graduating from Texas A&M with a biology degree, Fernandez decided to attend culinary school—but he received formal training in Italian fare. He got his start in fine dining as a sous chef, but like many in the industry, he dreamed of owning his own restaurant.
At 26, he decided to pursue his vision for a new concept with a menu inspired by his Mexican roots. He teamed up with veteran restaurateur and investment banker Gary Kovacs to open his first Izzo’s Illegal Burrito in 2001.
By making health-conscious tweaks to his grandmother’s recipes, sourcing high-quality ingredients and serving up dishes at an affordable price, Fernandez found quick success in Baton Rouge with Izzo’s and soon after began expanding. Today, there are 17 locations across Louisiana and Mississippi.
Fifteen years after founding Izzo’s, Fernandez introduced his second concept to Baton Rouge, opening Lit Pizza on Burbank Drive near LSU in August 2016.
The concept allows customers to choose from among 50 fresh toppings to customize a pie from a wood-fired brick oven.
“After Mexican food, Italian food is kind of my second love,” Fernandez says. “Multiconcept has always been something we wanted to do.”
Read Business Report’s full entrepreneur feature. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
