It takes nerve to open a high-end restaurant on the cusp of a financial meltdown. Even in the best of times, the dining scene is littered with might-have-beens. Wioletta Zywina ’02, ’03 MSIAM and her partner, Shingara “Peppino” Singh, have mixed nerve with marketing smarts and fabulous food to prosper in Boston’s South End. They opened Da Vinci in November 2007.

Zywina’s story is a classic American archetype. She came to the United States from her native Poland at age 18, barely speaking English. After a stint at the University of Southern Maine, she transferred to Bentley.

“I wanted to be in Boston, and I connected with the school right away,” she recalls. “It was so diverse — so many different languages and cultures; it was great.”

Her introduction to fine dining was at the famed Blue Ginger in Wellesley, where she waited tables to help finance her education. She met and befriended Indian-born Singh at another foodie haven, La Campania in Waltham.

After Bentley, Zywina earned a real estate license and spent several years buying apartment buildings to rehabilitate as affordable housing. But her dream was to open a restaurant. Two years ago, the stars aligned when her old friend Singh was ready to move from hired chef to co-owner.

It is a remarkable partnership. Singh had spent years in Germany living with a large Italian family — and fell in love with their cuisine. At Da Vinci, he buys all the ingredients and manages the menu.

“I stay out of the kitchen; that’s all Peppino,” says Zywina, who oversees the business and marketing side of the house. A general manager runs the dining area and hires the staff.

What’s their recipe for success in a down economy? Close attention to diners and teamwork, teamwork, teamwork.

“At Bentley I learned how to work in groups and resolve issues,” Zywina says over a lunch of the chef’s signature rigatoni. “We’re all very social, and we just love our guests. We have so many coming back, we get to know them.”

That customer-centric approach led to offering prix fixe menu, a wallet-friendly trend that many restaurants have since adopted.

Da Vinci staff represent a geographical smorgasbord: Italy, Albania, Morocco, West Africa. To Zywina and Singh, the global mix evokes the future of an ever-more connected world.

“Leaving Bentley, I was so confident,” she says. “It’s that kind of background that allows you to take risks.”