Cooking since she was a small child, owning her own restaurant has been Lisa Giungo’s life-long passion and dream. Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Lisa could often be found cooking, mixing or stirring the pot in the family kitchen at the foot of her grandmother or her father, Joe.

After spending more than 15 years in the retail industry, Lisa relocated to Phoenix job hunting at such toney stores as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. A routine inquiry about a position at Arcadia Farms resulted in owner Carolyn Ellis hiring Lisa on the spot even though Lisa had no previous experience in the restaurant industry. From no experience to becoming Ms. Ellis’ right-hand woman, Lisa quickly became indispensable mastering all aspects of management and operations at the restaurant from hiring personnel, to administering all catering functions to running the line.

From Arcadia Farms, she went on to become the original managing partner of Flying Dog Grocery now known as Le Grande Orange Grocery and Café. From there, she went on to be named general manager at My Florist Café but was wooed back to Arcadia Farms to open City Bakery at which time she was named managing partner. During her tenure at all of the restaurants, she developed a loyal following of customers who lovingly came to call her “Lisa G” giving her the inspiration for the name of her restaurant.

Discovering the empty bungalow that previously housed the Ye Ol’ Sandwich Shoppe, Lisa’s dream of owning her own restaurant came to fruition in February 2006. With her retail experience and amazing sense of style, Lisa designed the restaurant herself – hand-selecting the color palate of cool greens and warms browns, consulting with James Douglas of Different by Design for the custom-designed avonite bar with zebra wood façade and the amazing custom-designed five foot high banquette and even refurbishing and painting the bungalow’s original hard-wood floors.

With hard-work and a life-long commitment to her fulfilling her dream, Lisa G’s Café Wine Bar is sure to become a staple among Valley diners.

When she isn’t at the restaurant, Lisa enjoys working out, visiting great Valley restaurants and experimenting with new recipes. She resides in Phoenix where she enjoys working on her 1960’s era condo.