Tradition at Ferraro’s Italian Grille traced to 1957 in Sicily

Frank LoGrande embraced life in the United States when he moved to Brooklyn from Italy with his family at age 15.

Now 63, he carries on the family restaurant tradition at Ferraro’s Italian Grille, 8348 U.S. 301 N., Parrish, that dates to 1957 in Palmero, Sicily.

Since buying the restaurant in 2008, he has made it his own by incorporating not only family recipes into the menu, but also the look and feel of Italy in the dining room. Built into the ambience of Ferraro’s is the facade of a villa with an open courtyard, a trestle of grapevines, and beyond that a mural depicting a village and a range of mountains.

“We came to Florida from New Jersey as a place to retire,” LoGrande said.

That might have been the long-term goal, but LoGrande loved the business too much to retire immediately. Soon after moving to Florida, he bought a restaurant in Punta Gorda, operated it for a few years, built up the business and then sold it. The LoGrandes bought what is now Ferraro’s in 2008.

“The restaurant here was about to close down. We decided to take a chance and bought it,” he said.

That has given Italian food lovers in the Ellenton-Parrish area a reason to celebrate.

The extensive menu includes specialty pasta plates such as Fettuccino Alfredo and Rigatoni ala Vodka in the $15 range, as well as poultry, seafood, veal, pizza and sandwiches.

Ferraro’s lunch menu changes daily with six meal choices Monday through Friday in the $6 to $8 range.

Takeout, catering and a customized menu also are offered.

Ferraro’s can cook up special request items as long as it has enough notice, LoGrande said.

Joining him in operating the business are his sons Salvatore and Anthony. The LoGrandes also have a married daughter, Mariangela, who is not involved in the business.

“My wife Frances and all our kids live in Parrish.We love the people here. They are very friendly,” LoGrande said.

“It’s in our blood,” Salvatore LoGrande said. “I have doing this since I was 18. I’m 40 now.”

“People come here to enjoy the food and the atmosphere. We really have a great time with our customers,” Frank LoGrande said.

Even after so many years in the business, retirement doesn’t seem to be in the cards for Frank LoGrande’s near future.

“When you enjoy it, it’s different than work. I still want to get up and come to work,” he said.

Ferraro’s has 96 seats. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon-9 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, call 941-723-1111, or visit ferrarositaliangrille.com.

This story was originally published November 27, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Tradition at Ferraro’s Italian Grille traced to 1957 in Sicily."