12 FRANCO PREVEDELLO THE GRAND INNOVATOR OF THE TORONTO FOOD SCENE
INTRODUCED BY COSIMO MAMMOLITI.
When Elena told me the next issue was going to be on Veneto the first thing that came to mind was Franco Prevedello (Born in Asolo, Veneto). This man, who I have looked up to from a young age, desesrves to be given a huge amount of recognition for his achievements. When I was 17, I began working in the restaurant industry as a food runner and often heard his name from colleagues that had worked for and with him. He was described as a demanding perfectionist—a tough but fair person to work for. I learned that he started as a waiter himself but he had a vision. He opened unbelievably big style restaurants, giving Italian cuisine the recognition it deserves with high quality food and extensive wine lists that were introduced to the scene in Toronto for the very first time. This captivated me and this guy got in my head. Franco was in the press all the time, he was known in all circles. After hearing so much about him, I first met Franco as a landlord, in my early 30’s. It was
then that we began going for lunches and dinners that lasted for hours, we had a lot to talk about. Today, I personally want to thank Franco for his contributions, for what he did in his time for this city and for representing Italy and Italian food the right way. For inspiring me to believe that if you have an idea, and believe in yourself and work really hard, you can make it happen. Secondly, I want to ensure that younger kids starting off in this business know who Franco Prevedello is; he always needs to be remembered as the guy who put the Italian restaurant and wine scene on the map in this city. Franco, thank you for carving the path for someone like me, for the inspiration that stems from all the amazing work that you have and continue to do. I believe that the city of Toronto should be thankful for being blessed with a guy like Franco who, with these amazing and beautiful restaurants like Centro, Pronto, Splendido, showed this city dining out unlike anything here before him.