About

 Jen Ziskin Executive Director, Mass Restaurants United; Co-Owner & Wine and Events Director, La Morra & Punch Bowl Brookline 

Jen Ziskin is the Executive Director of Mass Restaurants United (MRU), a statewide coalition working to strengthen and advocate for independent restaurants and the hospitality workforce across Massachusetts. In this role, she leads efforts to build community among operators and employees, advance policy conversations affecting the industry, and create programs that support the long-term sustainability of independent restaurants. 

A lifelong hospitality professional, Jen entered the restaurant industry at fifteen and has spent her career working across nearly every facet of the business. Her experience as an operator informs her leadership at MRU, where she works closely with restaurant owners, workers, policymakers, and industry partners to elevate the voice of independent restaurants and address challenges such as workforce development, immigration, housing, and small business policy. 

Jen is also the Wine & Events Director and co-owner of La Morra and Punch Bowl Brookline, which she operates with her husband, Chef Josh Ziskin. In 2003, the couple opened La Morra, named after the small village in Italy where they lived and trained following their wedding. Known for her close relationships with small, family-owned vineyards around the world, Jen curates the wine lists at both restaurants, sourcing distinctive wines directly from producers she knows personally. 

In 2021, Jen and Josh opened Punch Bowl, a modern City Tavern in Brookline inspired by the female innkeepers and barmaids of the late 1700s. The restaurant’s wine list highlights women in wine, featuring female winemakers, vineyard owners, and managers. 

Jen is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, holds an Italian Wine Specialist certification from the North American Sommelier Association, and is currently pursuing her WSET Diploma. She is also the co-host of Let’s Talk Womxn Boston, part of a national network supporting women entrepreneurs in food and beverage. 

Authentic Northern Italian cuisine in Brookline.