A restaurant and franchise consultant for years, Jennifer Erdman hadn’t considered opening her own concept until she met Italian restaurateurs Giuseppe Barbera and Andrea Casarin. The Venice residents opened her eyes to authentic Italian cuisine. Together with co-founders Chris Lowe and Sam Lundy, they created Pochino Italy, a counter-service Italian restaurant near Kennesaw State University.

Pochino (pronounced with a ‘k’ sound, not a ‘ch’) serves house-made pasta and pinsa (Roman, oval-shaped pizza) in a clean, modern atmosphere. Open since Memorial Day, it serves lunch and dinner seven days a week with both dine-in and takeout available. There’s even a pickup window for quicker service.