The Digest | New Jersey Magazine
Issue link: https://magazines.vuenj.com/i/1546317
By the end of the conversation, Frank had made an offer to buy the restaurant. "I walked out to my kids and said, 'Mommy's going to kill me–I just bought a restaurant,'" he recalls. Within two months' time, Frank turned the struggling pizzeria into Patricia's of Holmdel, one of New Jersey's most beloved fine-dining establishments. A little over ten years later, Frank is now the proud owner of Patricia's of Holmdel and is a partner in Madison Modern Social, Over Easy Kitchen, Gabriella's Italian Steakhouse, Jackson Square Pizza, and Gabriella's Modern Italian in Delray Beach, Florida. With no prior experience in the hospitality sector, Frank had never worked in a kitchen or managed a dining room before. What he did know, however, was business and how to connect with others. "I love people," Frank says. "I love being out there." Self-described as "made in Italy, born in Brooklyn," Frank was raised in Staten Island with deep family roots in Calabria where he would spend six weeks every summer. ose summers in Italy gave Frank the ability to speak fluent Italian and imbued an appreciation for "the simple things in life." He maintains that authentic energy at his restaurants, "taking fine dining and a great vibe and bringing them both together." As he describes it, "we're about comfort food that people know and love. We're not a stuffy place. We treat everyone the way we'd want to be treated." Frank credits his Uncle Tony with teaching him the invaluable lessons in leadership that help him build his restaurant empire today. "He was my mentor in the commercial printing business; he made everything look easy, but I knew behind the scenes it wasn't," Frank explains. Tasked with leading 400 employees, Tony was well-loved and le an impression "always dressed to the nines." It was the "tips, pep talk to say 'you got this, you're going to succeed, you're a go-getter, treat people the way you want to be treated'" that kept Frank going–and growing. In fact, Uncle Tony was the first customer at Gabriella's Modern Italian in Delray Beach when it opened. POINT OF VUE 52 VUENJ.COM