Janet is the founder and CEO of Gusto 54 Restaurant Group – an acclaimed hospitality brand with award-winning restaurants across North America. Through strategic real estate acquisition and key partnerships, Janet scaled Gusto 54 from one to ten unique concepts entirely independently with unmarked success. Celebrated both as neighborhood stalwarts and culinary destinations, Janet’s restaurants have been recognized for excellence in food, design, and experience. In particular, her Los Angeles-based restaurant Felix was lauded as Esquire’s “#1 Best New Restaurant in America," Eater LA’s “Restaurant of the Year,” and shortlisted as a finalist for the James Beard “Best New Restaurant 2018” award, in addition to being recognized in the 2019 Michelin California Guide. 

Representing only 7% of female restauranteurs in the world, Janet was honoured with Canada's 100 Best American Express Business Leadership Award, Foodservice & Hospitality’s Pinnacle Award winner for “Independent Restaurateur of the Year” and was selected by the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards as the recipient of the TEC Canada Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship. In 2019, Janet was named as Businesswoman of the Year by the Italian Chamber of Commerce and oversaw a year of exponential growth at Gusto 54, leading to its repeat recognition as a Deloitte Best Managed Company. In addition to her accomplished career as a restauranteur, Janet is a Resident Judge on Top Chef Canada and is the first Canadian woman to become an AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) certified Pizzaiola. 

Currently Janet is working alongside other hospitality leaders in the strategic rebuilding of therestaurant industry globally, as well as supporting frontline workers in Toronto and Los Angeles through Gusto Gives Back, including the donation of healthy meals to frontline healthcare workers.