Getting Personal with Village Eatery Modo Mio

By MAGNOLIA LAFLEUR | Reporter

Serving the Palisades for almost a decade with restaurant owner George Zaoui at the helm, Modo Mio has offered food enthusiasts another way to enjoy a belly-warming Italian meal with the family in the heart of the Village.

Born in Paris, France, in 1972, Zaoui shared that he grew up in a family where cooking was always a priority, which eventually led to him jumping into the food industry, even after having earned a PhD in computer science and working a long career in computer engineering.

“I worked for more than 16 years in this field until the day I had a burnout,” Zaoui told the Palisadian-Post. “At the same time, a big company offered to purchase my business. I immediately jumped on that chance to be able to change my life.”

Zaoui said this is how in 2014, he was finally able to realize his American dream and come to live in Los Angeles, along with his wife, Véronique, and their three teenagers.

“It was not an easy change,” he shared, “but the United States remains, for me, the country of opportunities, where everything is still possible.”

Zaoui took over Modo Mio on June 16, 2014, which has a history in the community dating back to 1985 under three different owners.

Modo Mio translates to “my way” in Italian, and Zaoui said that resonated with him, as it characterized who he was as a child.

“I don’t do anything like the others,” he explained. “At the same time, when customers come to the restaurant, they can accommodate their favorite dish in their ‘own way.’ When I bought it in 2014, I decided to give it my personal touch by first installing more comfortable chairs for the respect of my customers. I then worked for more than two years to finally be able to obtain a liquor license.”

Separating himself from the pack by ensuring that all his choice of products, such as fruits and vegetables, are hand selected during the week by the chef. From the beginning, Zaoui has prided himself on being involved with the entire process of being a restaurateur—from personally choosing which fish to serve to taking the time to specially select which particular wines ought to accompany dishes.

“Perhaps through my French past, I like to try new wines, understand the best marriages between the different grape varieties and those that will best suit this or that dish,” Zaoui shared. “I have nothing against large companies that deliver fresh produce directly to restaurants. The only main concern I noticed is the lack of attention and human warmth brought to this food. As my mother has always said: ‘You are what you eat, so be careful with what you put in your mouth.’”

Working alongside Chef Arturo Godinez, who has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Zaoui explained that what he appreciates most about Godinez—aside from the fact that they get along very well—is his knowledge of Northern Italian cuisine, along with his unique ability to accommodate any kind of dish idea, making both their work in the restaurant not a job, but a passion.

Modo Mio is focused on Northern Italian cuisine, which is characterized by “a lesser use of sauce, and overall a lighter and healthier style of cooking,” according to the restaurant’s website.

The restaurant has menus for lunch, dinner and brunch, as well as cocktails and wine. Items on the dinner menu include Tagliatelle Bolognese (handmade flat noodles with meat sauce of ground beef and pork, with tomato and minced vegetables) and Gnocchi Modo Mio (handmade potato dumplings in a tomato pesto cream sauce).

Brunch, which is served every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. alongside the lunch menu, includes items like 3 Eggs Omelette, Italian Toast and Uovo Benedetto (eggs benedict).

Loving the “peaceful” lifestyle Pacific Palisades offers, Zaoui has high hopes for Modo Mio’s continued success.

“I like the lifestyle here where everything seems so peaceful,” Zaoui told the Post, “far from this madness of big cities where customers are not considered. At Modo Mio, we like to talk with people and take an interest in the people around us. We survived the pandemic, so now the best is ahead of us. Welcome back to Modo Mio.”