California culinary star dies after hiking in Hawaii
CARLSBAD, Calif. (KSWB/KUSI) – Gianna Buzzetta wasn't a rising star in the culinary world, she was at the top of the game.
At 26, she was helping to win Michelin stars for Carlsbad's Jeune et Jolie for three years as an executive pastry chef.
Now, her restaurant community is mourning the loss of a beloved colleague after Buzzetta was killed in a freak accident in Kauai, Hawaii, while hiking with her boyfriend last week.
'We all heard the news, and it was obviously paralyzing, and not knowing what to do,' said John Resnick, the owner of Jeune et Jolie.
Resnick says Buzzetta was one of the best of them.
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'She was a huge part of the team. Super creative, super talented, incredibly hardworking. Humble, confident, I mean all these things that we want to see in the people we work with, and so from that professional talent standpoint, she was incredible and then just as a person you wanted to be around. Our whole team loved working alongside her,' Resnick said.
The loss is incomprehensible but Resnick says the Buzzetta family has a bond extremely powerful and rare.
'Hearing them talk about her makes me want to be a better dad, just like the relationship they have with her is incredible,' Resnick said.
Resnick says with the rescue and medical costs off the charts the Buzzetta family needs all the help they can get so his team will be opening up on Monday, April 7 and donating all proceeds to assist with the bills.
'This time I think it's like coming together to celebrate the relationships that people had with Gianna, if you didn't know her, you can still come in and support the family,' Resnick said.
The dinner service starts at 5 p.m. and runs through the evening, with last seating at 9 p.m.
A donation fund has been set up for Buzzetta.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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