Rising Stars: Meet Sylvia Franson of Los Angeles / OC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sylvia Franson.

Hi Sylvia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story has really been defined by taking chances, embracing change, and never being afraid to start a new chapter.

I spent more than 35 years in the advertising and media industry, including 30 years with NBCUniversal, where I ultimately served as Vice President of Advertising Sales for the West Coast. It was an incredible career that gave me the opportunity to work with some of the most talented people in the business and taught me invaluable lessons about leadership, marketing, sales, and the importance of building meaningful relationships.

While my career was progressing in media, my husband, Kyle, was building a successful career in finance, primarily in the mortgage industry. When the financial and mortgage crisis hit in 2008, the industry changed dramatically, and Kyle found himself at a crossroads, searching for what his next chapter might look like.

That period of uncertainty ultimately led us somewhere we never could have predicted: the wine business.

Kyle and I developed a passion for wine and began exploring the idea of creating something of our own. In 2012, we founded Rancho Capistrano Winery with a simple vision: to create a place that felt like you were sitting in our backyard with friends and family, sharing great wine, great food, and making memories.

Neither of us came from the traditional wine or hospitality world, which in many ways became one of our greatest strengths. We approached the business from the perspective of the guest. We wanted wine to feel approachable rather than intimidating and hospitality to feel genuine and personal.

What started as Kyle’s career reinvention gradually became something we were building together. Rancho Capistrano Winery grew into an award-winning restaurant and winery, producing more than 40 different wines sourced from premier wine-growing regions throughout the West and eventually expanding to multiple locations in Orange County, California.

Then it was my turn to reinvent myself.

In 2022, after three decades with NBCUniversal, I retired from corporate America. I quickly discovered that I wasn’t quite ready to retire. In 2023, I joined Rancho Capistrano Winery full-time as Chief Marketing Officer, bringing the experience from my first career into the business Kyle and I had created together.

It has been incredibly rewarding to see those two chapters of my life come together. The lessons I learned in media, such as building brands, understanding consumers, developing people, driving revenue, and constantly evolving, have translated beautifully into the hospitality industry. At the same time, owning a restaurant and winery has taught me an entirely new level of resilience, adaptability, and entrepreneurship.

Today, Rancho Capistrano Winery is much more than a business to us. It’s part of our family and our community. We’ve had the privilege of being part of countless birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, celebrations, and everyday moments in people’s lives, including our own family, and that connection is what continues to motivate us.

Looking back, it’s interesting that Rancho Capistrano Winery was born during a time when Kyle was being forced to figure out what came next. Years later, I found myself asking a similar question after leaving a career that had defined such a large part of my life.

If there’s one thing our journey has taught me, it’s that sometimes the chapters you never planned are the ones that become the most meaningful. You don’t have to choose just one career or one version of yourself. The experience you gain in one chapter may be exactly what prepares you for the next.

At this stage of our lives, Kyle and I are still building, still learning, and still taking chances and we’re excited to see where the story takes us next.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road, but I think that’s true of most entrepreneurial journeys.

When Kyle and I entered the wine and restaurant business, neither of us came from the hospitality industry. We had to learn an entirely new business from the ground up. There were plenty of mistakes along the way, but we learned quickly, surrounded ourselves with talented people, and tried to remain open to changing course when something wasn’t working.

Then came COVID. Like so many restaurant owners, we suddenly found ourselves trying to navigate circumstances we never could have imagined. The rules seemed to change constantly, and we had to figure out how to keep our employees working, our guests connected to us, and our business alive. It forced us to become incredibly creative and adaptable, and I think we came out of that period as much stronger operators.

The years that followed brought a different set of challenges. The restaurant industry has become increasingly difficult, particularly in California. Labor and food costs have risen significantly, consumer habits have changed, and operating expenses continue to increase. At the same time, guests understandably still expect great food, great service, and value. Finding that balance while maintaining the quality and experience our brand represents is something we work on every single day.

Growth has brought its own lessons as well. As you expand, you realize that what worked when you were smaller doesn’t necessarily work at the next level. You have to build stronger systems, develop leaders, make difficult personnel decisions, and sometimes let go of the way you’ve always done things.

Most recently, we made one of the most difficult decisions in our company’s history: closing our San Clemente location after nearly ten years. We loved that community and had built wonderful relationships there, but ultimately we had to look objectively at the business and recognize that the location was no longer sustainable. As emotional as that decision was, we knew it was the right one and would allow us to focus our energy and resources on our San Juan Capistrano and Ladera Ranch locations and on the future of the company.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that resilience in business isn’t just about pushing through adversity. Sometimes resilience means being willing to change, make the hard decision, or admit that something needs to be done differently.

There have certainly been moments when we’ve wondered, “What did we get ourselves into?” But there have been many more moments when we’ve looked around a packed restaurant, watched families celebrating milestones, talked with longtime members who have become friends, and realized how special this business has become.

The road hasn’t always been smooth, but I wouldn’t trade the journey. Every challenge has taught us something, and in many ways, the difficult seasons have shaped Rancho Capistrano Winery just as much as the successes have.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Today, I serve as Chief Marketing Officer and co-owner of Rancho Capistrano Winery, but like most entrepreneurs, my role extends far beyond a title. I oversee our brand, marketing, guest experience, membership program, promotions, and many aspects of the day-to-day business. I’m constantly thinking about how we can evolve while staying true to who we are. I also handle day to day operations for the company.

My background is in advertising, sales, and marketing, so I naturally look at our business through the eyes of the consumer. I spent more than 35 years in media, including 30 years at NBCUniversal, and that experience taught me the importance of understanding your audience, protecting your brand, building relationships, and never becoming complacent about the customer experience.

What Kyle and I have always wanted Rancho Capistrano Winery to be known for is much more than wine. We are a winery, but we are also a full-service restaurant and, most importantly, a hospitality company. Our goal has always been to create an experience centered around some of life’s greatest joys: wine, food, family, friends, and community.

One thing that sets us apart is that we aren’t a traditional winery or vineyard. We source grapes from some of the premier wine-growing regions throughout the West and produce more than 40 different wines, which allows us to offer our guests an incredible amount of variety. At the same time, we’ve built a full culinary program around the wine, so guests can come in for a tasting, lunch, dinner, a celebration, or simply a glass of wine on the patio.

Hospitality is something I am particularly passionate about. I’m a big believer that people may not remember every detail of a meal, but they will remember how you made them feel. I want our team to notice the little things such as, why someone is celebrating, whether they’re a longtime member, what wine they love, or simply whether there is an opportunity to make their visit more memorable. Those seemingly small gestures are often what turn a first-time guest into someone who comes back for years.

I’m also incredibly proud of the community we’ve built around Rancho Capistrano Winery. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to receive numerous awards and recognition, including being named Best Winery in Southern California by the Orange County Register and receiving recognition for our restaurants, food, and hospitality. Those honors mean a great deal to us, but what I’m most proud of is seeing the same guests return year after year and knowing that our restaurants have become part of their lives.

We’ve celebrated engagements, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, business dinners, family traditions, and even ordinary Tuesday and Thursday nights with our guests. Some of our members and customers have been with us for more than a decade. To me, that’s the greatest measure of success.

What sets us apart is that Rancho Capistrano Winery is deeply personal to us. Kyle and I aren’t building a concept for someone else, we’re building something that carries our name, our values, and our family’s story. We still walk through our restaurants, talk with guests, listen to feedback, taste the food and wine, and look for ways to make the experience better.

After spending most of my career helping build and sell other brands, there’s something incredibly fulfilling about pouring that experience into a brand that belongs to our family. I’m proud of what we’ve built, but I’m probably even more excited about what we’re still building.

Any big plans?
Right now, our focus is less about getting bigger and more about getting better.

After recently making the difficult decision to close our San Clemente location, we’re entering a new chapter for Rancho Capistrano Winery. We’re concentrating our energy and resources on our San Juan Capistrano and Ladera Ranch locations and really doubling down on what we do best: creating an exceptional food, wine, and hospitality experience.

One of the things I’m most excited about is continuing to evolve the Rancho Capistrano Winery brand beyond the traditional idea of what a winery can be. Wine will always be at the heart of who we are, but today’s guest is looking for a complete experience. We’re continuing to invest in our culinary program, expand our beverage offerings, and elevate the level of hospitality our guests receive from the moment they walk through the door.

At Ladera Ranch, we’re particularly excited about expanding our beverage program to include a full bar and craft cocktails. It’s a natural evolution for us and gives our guests more choices while still allowing wine to remain central to our identity.

We’re also expanding our **RCW To Go** program at Ladera Ranch. We recognize that our guests don’t always have the time to sit down for a full dining experience, but they still want the quality and convenience of enjoying their favorite RCW dishes at home. We see To Go as an important growth opportunity and another way to make Rancho Capistrano Winery part of our guests’ everyday lives not just their special occasions.

We’re also very focused on growing and strengthening our membership community. Our members are incredibly important to us, and we want membership to feel like much more than receiving wine each month. We want people to feel that they belong to something a community where they’re recognized, appreciated, and genuinely excited to return.

Personally, I’m looking forward to continuing to build the brand and challenge ourselves creatively. I spent much of my career in an industry that was constantly changing, and I learned that the moment you become too comfortable is usually the moment you stop growing. I bring that same mindset to Rancho Capistrano Winery.

As for what comes next, we’re always open to opportunity. I don’t think Kyle or I are wired to sit still for very long. If the right opportunity presents itself whether that’s a secondary sister brand, a new concept, or something we haven’t even imagined yet we’ll certainly explore it. But growth for the sake of growth isn’t the goal.

At this stage, success means continuing to build something we’re proud of, creating opportunities for the people who work with us, staying connected to our communities, and making sure Rancho Capistrano Winery remains a place where people want to gather and make memories.

We’ve learned that some of the best chapters in our lives weren’t part of the original plan, so I’m excited to see what the next one brings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ranchocapwinery.com/
• Instagram: @ranchocapistranowinery.com
• Facebook: ranchocapistranowinery.com
• LinkedIn: ranchocapistranowinery
• Youtube: ranchocapistranowinery