![]() Perhaps the honour closest to his heart, however, is the Caterina de Medici Medal, awarded to him in 1985, when Larry became the first American and first person of non-Italian descent to receive this medal from the Italian government, recognizing excellence in the preservation of Italian heritage outside of Italy. These awards include the 1998 International Foodservice Manufacturers Association “Gold Plate” Award – considered by many to be the industry’s ultimate honour - and induction into the California Restaurant Association’s Hall of Fame, also in 1998. Larry has been widely recognized for his achievements within the hospitality industry. Within ten months he opened the first Il Fornaio Cucina Italiana e Panetteria just outside of San Francisco in Corte Madera, California, a concept that quickly caught on and has grown to include restaurants, bakeries, and retail outlets throughout the western US. ![]() In 1987, Larry became chairman and CEO of Il Fornaio. When Spectrum merged with Saga Corporation, Larry was named the president of the company’s restaurant group, in charge of more than 200 restaurants generating a combined $375 million in annual revenue. From there Larry founded Spectrum Foods, where as Chairman and CEO he began changing the California restaurant scene with the likes of Guaymas in Tiburon, California and MacArthur Park in San Francisco and Palo Alto. Under his direction, the company doubled revenues for four consecutive years. He also reinvented Il Fornaio, changing it from a charming collection of Italian bakeries into an empire of restaurants and bakeries in five states generating more than $150 million in annual revenue.Īfter graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, Larry’s career took root in San Francisco when he became CEO of the Caswell Coffee Company. Two years later, Larry opened Prego in San Francisco, bringing one of the first restaurant exhibition pizza ovens to the United States and launching this nation-wide trend. to feature exhibition pasta making in view of the dining room, highlighted with all-white décor and floors made of white Pirelli rubber. Combining a passion for Italy and keen restaurant savvy, Larry has created such trend-setting restaurants as Ciao in San Francisco, which was the first restaurant in the U.S. Millions of people across the country have enjoyed visiting Larry’s restaurants, though many are likely to recognize the establishments before they recognize the man. ![]() My hope is that it will be a place my friends and family feel comfortable in.” “This is just all of my experience wrapped into four walls. “I’m not trying to build a new empire here,” says Larry. Poggio is the natural extension of a career marked with numerous accolades and wonderful restaurants. Larry opens a restaurant that reflects not just where he’s been, but who he is. It’s been a long and adventurous trip to complete his vision of what a great restaurant can be with Poggio, one that began with personal epiphany years ago during his first trip to Italy and that has since included uncountable trips between California and ‘The Boot.’ But for Italophiles everywhere, it was a journey well worth the effort. With Poggio, he makes his definitive mark. Use this table as a guide to decide in which order to purchase and play restaurants and to be prepared ahead of time with the correct amount of gems and coins to buy an automatic cooking machine for the restaurant.After 30 years of building successful restaurants, Larry Mindel has cut quite a wide swath in the culinary landscape.
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