Franco Galano
Franco Galano grew up surrounded by the foods of Ischia. His father, a native of the island (located between Naples and Capri) moved to America at the age of 19 and opened a popular salumeria (or Italian deli) called Ischia Quality Food.
After Franco graduated college with a business degree, he saw an opportunity to grow his father's business using his marketing skills and ideas.
By the mid 1990s, Ischia Quality Foods had grown to become on of the most important food importing and distribution businesses in the tri-state area (most of the top 100 restaurants in New York City are their clients, plus hundreds more nationwide) By the end of the 1990's to meet the needs of their customers, there was a need to acquire a much larger establishment (their current location in Woodside, New York). Then a gourmet store front was added, so that customers no longer had to enter the warehouse. A small kitchen was then built just for the employees. It was then decided to open the kitchen up to the public, but just for lunch. That was when Sapori D'Ischia was born.
On opening day, the New York Times wrote such a wonderful review, that their shelves were emptied in 3 hours. In an effort to not send the customers home hungry and empty-handed, they tried to throw together some tasty and authentic Italian dishes with whatever they had left on hand. People were amazed and demand grew by leaps and bounds. The goal was to show people how it's done in Italy, simple but excellent, which later became their motto. After the trattoria grew, they added an Enoteca, just another step towards separating themselves from typical Italian restaurants.
Chef's Recipes :
Bucatini with Hunters RagúCheck our Calendar to find out about Chef's Night Demos
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