NICOLE VALLS

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, VALLS GROUP, MIAMI

The Valls Group owns several long-running Cuban restaurants in Miami, including the iconic Versailles restaurant in Little Havana. It has more than 2,000 employees at more than 30 establishments, including Versailles, La Carreta, Casa Juancho, MesaMar, Casa Cuba, and several outposts at Miami International Airport. Versailles’ founder, the late Felipe A. Valls Sr., fled his homeland of Cuba in 1960 and is credited with creating Miami’s emblematic “ventanita” concept, a walk-up window serving Cuban coffee and pastries. Nicole Walls, who has worked for the family company since 2006, is responsible for handling day-to-day operations. Since 2009, she’s been on the board of directors of Amigos for Kids, a Miami-based nonprofit dedicated to child abuse prevention. She served as its chair from 2017 to 2020.

EDUCATION: University of Miami (BA)