Grisanti Italian Cuisine

Memphis was good to Rinaldo. It was here that he met his wife, Miss Mary, and opened his own restaurant. Their eldest son, my grandfather Elfo, joined Rinaldo in the kitchen in 1929. Elfo’s culinary talent flourished and attracted diners from across the region. My grandfather’s fame spread nationally when movie star Vincent Price’s cookbook, A Treasury of Great Recipes, featured two of his creations: Elfo’s Special and Spinach Uova. The culinary world took notice of Grisanti northern Italian cuisine.

Elfo’s son was my father, Ronnie. He grew up working for his grandparents at Grisanti’s on Main, across from Central Station. After college, the Marine Corps, and a stint in wine sales with Gallo Brothers, Ronnie joined his Uncle Big John in the kitchen at Grisanti’s on Airways.

In 1979, my father started his own restaurant, opening Ronnie Grisanti and Sons on Marshall. Though my brothers Dino, Alex and I were too young then to work on the line, we did earn the “sons” on the restaurant’s awning – baking garlic bread and rolling out ravioli dough.

Ronnie moved to Beale Street and eventually landed at the location that would draw regulars from across the Mid-South to what was the center of Memphis: Poplar and Humes. For three decades there, the “Captain” maintained the art of fine Italian dining in one of Memphis‘ busiest and happiest restaurants.

In 2012, Ronnie opened a smaller restaurant in a Collierville antique mall. As his health declined, I was honored to rejoin him in the kitchen. When he died in 2017, he left me the same treasure that his father gave to him: the timeless cucina Toscana.

Through the years, each Grisanti chef – Rinaldo, Elfo, Big John, David, Ronnie, Alex and Frank – has brought a singular touch to our family legacy. Now that I am privileged to become a guardian of a more than century old culinary tradition, I make it my mission to to create “Antico Nuovo” dishes for your delight in our beautiful dining room. I aim to maintain Italian standards of excellence while bringing my signature and more modern contributions to the Grisanti culinary heritage.

The flavors in each of our recipes are blended with the finest ingredients, simplicity, elegance and love. I pledge that I will protect the Grisanti legacy while continuing to refine my art form. This restaurant is my gift to Memphis, the city that allowed my great-grandfather and our family to thrive and raise our own children in the greatest place in the world.

May our Lord Jesus Christ protect and bless you and your loved ones forever.

Con amore,
Judd Grisanti