Our parents, Philippe and Tori, came from Italy; Philippe (whose birth name was Ernesto Vanucci) was born and raised in the Calabria region. Tori was raised both in her father’s hometown of Florence and her mother’s just outside of Wexford town in the Republic of Ireland. Good cooks, all, their recipes came with them to the United States, where – in addition to growing other businesses – the first Fanelli’s restaurant was launched.
Offering all the recipes brought with them, the success of their first saw the business grow to seven Michelin Star restaurants across the globe, with reservations for weeks ahead at minimum. Three of the restaurants: the Paris suburbs; Buenos Aires; and the flagship restaurant in the network headquarters at the Jersey shore, host accredited cooking schools as well, turning out chefs for their own restaurants and teaching sustainability and clean eating. Gardens fill the grounds surrounding each property, and food is given away each day to small organizations who feed the poor.
If you find yourself near one – although the reservation list is tight – stop by and make a donation toward our scholarship program for aspiring chefs from impacted areas in each country and we’ll set up a table for you in our sustainer’s area.
My parents’ credo was always to give back…to share. I miss them so much…but their hearts live in the way our businesses are run – across the entire network.
Below is a link to all our restaurants. Hope to see you there. Ciao!
Carmen Carazon McManus
The Carazon Vanucci Network 