As a boy growing up in the northern Italian city of Milan, one of Stefano Landini's favorite memories was poring through his mother's cookbooks and making dinner for her when she came home from work. His interest in food was clearly in his blood, as the Landini family was full of chefs. His grandmother, Ida, owned a well-known pizzeria, his Uncle Giuseppe owned a fine restaurant and his mother owned a bar. When he wasn't cooking at home, he was helping his grandmother flatten pizza dough across the street or learning from his uncle how to make one of his favorite dishes, such as gnocchi.

Stefano went on to study graphic design and photography in college in Milan. However, after earning his degree he was eager to learn more computer graphic design, which brought him to Northern California. While here in the states, he met his future wife, Perla, a Mexico City native. The two married and moved back to Italy for three years before Stefano landed a job as a graphic designer in Grass Valley and the found a home in Nevada City.