The Real Story
At Prisinzano Products, we bring you the flavors of Italy with a story rooted in family, tradition, and a lifelong passion for food. Inspired by generations of Italian heritage and Frank Prisinzano’s journey from New York City to the coast of southern Italy, our products embody the essence of two worlds: the rich culinary tradition of Campania and the vibrant energy of New York’s East Village.
From the gardens of an 822-year-old Palazzo in Scala, Italy, to your table, every jar of passata and bottle of olive oil is a labor of love.
1901
1901
Frank’s ancestors make the move to the U.S., setting up shop in New York City. His dad’s people came from Castelbuono, Sicily, and his mom’s from Rodi Garganico, Puglia and Naples.
The mix of these two regios’ flavors? That’s the secret sauce behind Frank’s cooking.
1965
1965
Frank Prisinzano Jr. is born in Queens to Frank Sr. and Amalia Panella. The family moves to Long Island in ’66, and that’s where young Frank starts soaking up the food, the culture, and the whole Italian-American vibe.
1977
1977
When Frank’s grandpa, Carlo, passes, 12 year old Frank heads to Puglia with his grandma to sort out the family’s property. He tags along with a Canon AE-1 camera to document the masseria—50 acres of family land—and ends up learning the old-school cooking methods from his nonna. This trip locks in Frank’s love for food, art, and the Italian way of life. Shortly after, the masseria is sold, despite Frank´s strongest wishes to take it over one day. He vowed then and there that he would return to Italy and reclaim land for his family.
1979
1979
At 14, Frank gets his first job in the food world, where he began as a dishwasher, learned how to sling pizzas, then left after eventually becoming the head cook at a local joint. It’s not glamorous, but it’s where the magic starts.
1986
1986
Frank graduates from the CIA and is ready to take the food world by storm.
1987
1987
Frank takes over his first kitchen at a restaurant in (La Coquille) Manhasset, Long Island. He slashes food costs, scores himself a better paycheck, and after a year, he’s got enough saved to go on a solo food tour of Italy and France with $15k in cash. That trip? Life-changing. He returns to NYC only to work in kitchens and save up again and head back to Europe, over and over again.
June 20, 1998
June 20, 1998
Frank opens his first spot, Frank, in the East Village with money borrowed from his parents. By Christmas, the place is killing it, and he pays them back every penny of the loan in a box of cash wrapped as a Chritsmas gift under the tree.
January 2002
January 2002
Lil’ Frankie’s opens, and people can’t get enough of the wood-fired pizzas and classic Italian eats. It quickly becomes a hub for creatives and celebrities hanging out in the East Village.
April 2002
April 2002
Frank launches Supper, bringing family-style Italian cooking to the neighborhood just a stone’s throw away from Lil’ Frankie’s and Frank Restaurant.
2003
2003
Frank’s love for music and the East Village vibe leads to East Village Radio, a platform for local talent and tunes.
July 23, 2022
July 23, 2022
Frank buys an 822-year-old Palazzo in Scala, Italy, now known as Palazzo Prisinzano. It’s a dream come true—a mix of history, architecture, and Italian soul. A future hotel, winery, cooking school and the birthplace of Prisinzano Products.
August 2022
August 2022
Frank opens Daddies, his first restaurant on the west side of Manhattan. A place for his kids to eat and one where you can take yours.
April 2024
April 2024
Francuccio opens! Frank's first restaurant outside of Manhattan, and it only makes sense that it be on Capri, Italy.
August 2024
August 2024
The first tomatoes and olives are harvested from the Palazzo Prisinzano gardens in Italy! Our produce is transformed into delicious passata and oil and brought straight to NYC.