told by Frank Prisinzano
Editor's
Note:
Long before he opened a restaurant, even
before he went to the Culinary Institute of America, Frank Prisinzano
had a food philosophy: 'the best ingredients, handled with respect and
properly cooked.' It was developed out of his grandmothers' kitchens,
and has followed him into his own restaurant. Having eaten at Frank's
Restaurant, we would like to tell Frank that his grandmothers would
be proud. And, oh, Frank, that lasagna...
"I was always in love with
kitchens and cooking. I grew up at my grandmother's tables, helping
with all the meals. Both my grandmothers were very good cooks, well-versed
in everything, most of which they had learned from their mothers and
grandmothers. There was no waste in their cooking, and they demanded
the best ingredients. And the meals they made were huge, always with
a lot of courses. Everything good happened at my grandmothers' tables.I was such an eager assistant that
they let me help with everything. I grew up with eels squirming in my
hands which I thought was normal, though other people look at me startled
when I tell them. I did so much in the kitchen that when I was about
twelve they let me take over the preparation of gnocchi, and I started
cooking it myself. When I was about thirteen my grandmother
took my brother and me to Italy. I fell in love with Italy, and to this
day it's the most special place in the world to me. We went to Naples
and then to Puglia, a town known for the best, freshest produce. I watched
the people selling produce and knew that they weren't just selling vegetables.
They put those vegetables out with love because their souls were in
it. That trip marked me, but I had many
decisive moments around food in my growing up. One was my grandmother's
lasagna. One year she changed from ricotta to besciamella sauce, and
I saw that cooking could be lifted and made special. I make that lasagna
in the restaurant and we've been named 'best lasagna' by several publications.At seventeen I went to the CIA and
started my journey as a chef. When I graduated, I came to New York and
worked under several chefs. I learned from them, but I also saw that
I was as good as they were. I knew that one day I'd be able to open
a restaurant. To learn about the business, I got a job as a waiter.
I was a chef, but had never waited tables, so I lied and swore that
I had been a waiter. I was a great waiter because I could really talk
about the food. Then I worked as a bartender for a while. I was on my
way to doing my own thing.And my thing would be like the osterias
and trattorias of Italy that I had visited. They were comfortable places,
just as easy as being at my grandmothers' tables. You could meet the
owners who would talk about food or tell you about their kitchens. There
was always something to learn and a new food to understand. I wanted
people who came to my restaurant to have the experience of comfort.
When I was building the restaurant, I knew I would offer simple, not
extravagant food, made of the best ingredients, handled with respect
and properly cooked. My restaurant would be a place to get a cooked-to-order
plate of pasta, made the right way, and priced inexpensively.It has been a successful approach
for me, and I've been able to build a really fine wine bar, even open
a second restaurant. I slowly developed relationships with wine growers
in Italy and have 420 labels. I prefer serving them with the simpler
food. Complicated food and complicated wine don't go together.
When I opened the restaurant I brought
my grandmother's table into the restaurant. I want everyone to feel
comfortable, as if they are in my grandmother's house."
click
for frank's recipe for grandma's potato croquettes
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