Giuseppe "Pino" Luongo (born 1952/1953) is an

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-based

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

restaurateur, businessman, and memoirist. He owned or co-owned current and former restaurants including Il Cantinori, Le Madri, Centolire, Coco Pazzo (New York and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

), Coco Pazzo Cafe (Chicago), Coco Pazzo Teatro, Tuscan Square, Morso (New York) and the

Wainscott, New York Wainscott is a census-designated place (CDP) that roughly corresponds to the hamlet with the same name in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2010 United States Censu ...

-based Sapore di Mare.

Early life

Born in

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, the eldest of six children of Antonio and Mafalda Luongo, he was raised in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

Porto Santo Stefano Porto Santo Stefano () is a seaport town on the west coast of Italy, in the municipality of Monte Argentario, in the Province of Grosseto, Tuscany. It is the municipal seat of Monte Argentario and one of the two major towns that form the township ...

region, where he learned to cook from his mother. At age 19, he registered for the

Italian military The Italian Armed Forces ( it, Forze armate italiane, ) encompass the Italian Army, the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force. A fourth branch of the armed forces, known as the Carabinieri, take on the role as the nation's military police and ar ...

as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

. Around nine years later he was called up, for which he blamed his father, a military veteran, and from whom he would remain estranged until the latter's death. He fled

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

to New York in 1981, and began his career as a

busboy In North America, a busser, more commonly known as a busboy or busgirl, is a person who works in the restaurant and catering industry clearing tables, taking dirty dishes to the dishwasher, setting tables, refilling and otherwise assisting the ...

at a famed Italian eatery, Da Silvano, of which he would later become

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Career

On October 23, 1983, he opened his first establishment, Il Cantinori, with two partners. His next restaurant, which opened in 1988, was Sapore di Mare in Wainscott, Long Island. Infamous for his temperament, Luongo earned the nickname "Pino Noir".

Publications

Luongo has written or co-written five cookbooks: ''A Tuscan in the Kitchen'', ''Simply Tuscan'', ''Fish Talking'', ''La Mia Cucina Toscana'' and ''Two Meatballs'' (along with Mark Strausman). He wrote a memoir, ''Dirty Dishes — A Restaurateur's Story of Passion, Pain and Pasta''.

Personal life

Luongo and his second wife have three children, and reside in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

References

External links

Luongo updates
February 2009; accessed December 9, 2014.

January 3, 2011; accessed December 9, 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Luongo, Pino 1950s births Living people American restaurateurs Businesspeople from New York (state) Italian emigrants to the United States Date of birth missing (living people)