AGE: 31
POSITION: Owner/president, Gianfranco’s Sweet Ideas Inc.; and corporate executive chief, Mediterraneo
RESIDENCE: Smithfield
LIFELONG AMBITION: To be a concept developer and consultant in the food industry
FAVORITE BOOK: “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck
GUILTY PLEASURE: Collecting and drinking fine wines
For a chef, a good sense of foods, herbs and spices and their combinations is an absolute must. But if you can toss business savvy into the pot and the two mix well, you’ve got a winner. That is the story of Gianfranco Campanella, who has been in the food business for almost his entire life.
Born on Long Island, Campanella moved with his family to Sicily when he was 7. His father opened a salumeria (specialty food store) and began teaching him about Italian cuisine.
To this day, Campanella considers his father, Giovanni, his greatest influence and mentor. “He is a chef and business owner and has taught me all the basic and intricate skills of this profession,” he wrote in his 40 Under Forty application. “His accomplishments encourage me to strive towards all my goals without hesitation.”
A few years later, the family returned to Long Island and opened a restaurant, and again, Campanella worked with his father, learning the business and developing a love for it.
At 18, Campanella enrolled in the Advanced Standing Program at Johnson & Wales University and, while in school, started Slice & Ice, a small restaurant that operated for three years in downtown Providence, with a menu based on his father’s recipes.
In 1999, a few years out of school, Campanella moved to Boston to become executive chef at Il Bacio, a North End hot spot that was being reopened. He consulted on menu planning and design and helped to significantly boost sales.
The following year, Campanella returned to Providence to become corporate executive chef at Mediterraneo and also support owner Gianfranco Marrocco’s other restaurants, including Caffe Dolce Vita, Gepetto’s Pizzeria and the Tuscan Villa.
In 2002, Campanella started his own venture, Gianfranco’s Sweet Ideas Inc., a frozen dessert manufacturing company, capitalizing on the demand for his traditional mascarpone tiramisu. In mid-2005, he purchased Anita’s Cheesecake Co. and expanded the dessert line to more than 50 items, all handmade in Providence. He has also acquired the Providence Wedding Cake Co., whose specialty is cheesecake wedding cakes.
