Calling the restaurant business "a genetic tradition" in his family—both his grandparents and great-grandparents were restaurateurs—Nanut attended culinary school in his native Yugoslavia with the full intention of carrying on that tradition. After 13 years at Rino's Italian Restaurant in Lorain, Nanut opened Ristorante Stella Mia in July 2013 with his wife, Petra, and his parents, Jerry and Adriana. The name comes from the couple's young daughter, Stella, and means "star" in Italian.