Tag: Judd Grisanti

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Alex Grisanti Now in the Kitchen at Ronnie Grisanti’s Restaurant

Alex Grisanti now in the kitchen at Ronnie Grisanti’s Restaurant



Ronnie Grisanti’s Restaurant at one time was known as Ronnie Grisanti & Son Restaurant.

It’s a “sons” thing again. Alex Grisanti recently joined his brother, Judd Grisanti, in the kitchen at Ronnie Grisanti’s Restaurant in Regalia. Their brother, Dino Grisanti, is one of the owners.

Alex, who will continue to operate his 9-Dough-1 food truck, is glad to be back.

“My dad’s name is on the building,” Alex says. “I want to keep that Grisanti quality going that Memphis is used to, and give our customers what they expect out of us Grisantis.”

Judd, who opened Ronnie Grisanti’s Restaurant, in September, 2018, says, “The restaurant was never mine. The restaurant was never about me. The restaurant was never about Alex. It’s about our heritage. It’s about our family. We’re brothers. And it’s great to be back in the kitchen again, cooking alongside each other like we did for 27 years.”

The Grisanti brothers cooked at the Ronnie Grisanti’s restaurant when it was at 2855 Poplar at Humes. Dino, who also is in the car dealership business, worked in the kitchen at one time. Alex was chef/owner of the old Elfo’s restaurant in Germantown.

Judd and Dino asked him to come back, Alex says. He says he told them, “When I wasn’t on my truck, when my truck’s not working during the holiday season when we’re not so busy, that I would come help him and make all the pastries and stuff like that.”

“That’s what kind of got me back there,” says Alex, who now will be doing all types of chef duties in the kitchen.

And, he says, “When Judd’s not there, at least there’s a Grisanti in the building. Like me and dad, Judd, down on Poplar. Just like the old days.”

His food truck – or bus – business is doing “phenomenal,” he says. People still are going crazy over his crawfish pizza and other pizzas.

“This is coming up on our third year with the food truck. I worked nine shifts in the food truck last week. Our business has tripled. Because we’re feeding hospitals and their nurses and big companies where people have to go to work. Like right now, we’re at Campbell Clinic feeding all the doctors and nurses here.”

And, he says, “We built a new truck this winter and it’s doing great.”

It’s actually a “cargo, transport bus,” he says. “I got a bus five or six months ago and it took me all winter to build it. But it’s out and done.”

Judd and Dino aren’t the only ones happy to have their brother in the kitchen again. “I think my dad and my mom would be happy about us being in the kitchen again,” Judd says. “I know he’s smiling.”

Ronnie Grisanti’s Restaurant is at 6150 Poplar Avenue, No. 122, in Regalia; (901) 850-0191

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Judd Grisanti Joins Tug’s to Make Roman-style Pizzas

Judd Grisanti



Beginning June 19th, customers at Tug’s Casual Grill in Harbor Town can enjoy dine-in and takeout Roman-style pizzas created by Judd Grisanti, chef/owner of Ronnie Grisanti’s Restaurant.

Grisanti came on board as a consultant to create specialty gourmet pizzas with a Southern flair. Pizzas will include “Burnin’ Love,” “Tiger’s Prey,” the “King,” “Voodoo Village,” and “Smoke on the Water,” a barbecue pizza with pulled pork from Central Barbecue.

“We thought it would be fun to name the pizzas after some things around Memphis,” Grisanti says.

He collaborated with Tug’s general manager Neal Heaslett to create the pizzas. “Roman style is different than a Neapolitan type,” Grisanti says. “It’s a little bit thicker crust. More of a durable crust than a thin, thin crust. But still has the great crunch to it and holds up very, very well.”

Tug’s also will feature the traditional varieties of pizzas such as pepperoni, sausage, and cheese.

Grisanti, who comes from a long line of Memphis restaurateurs, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has apprenticed with internationally acclaimed chefs in Italy.

He originally was attracted to Tug’s blueberry pancakes. “I have a condo Downtown. I eat down there for brunch every Sunday. I fell in love with their blueberry pancakes. They’re more of a European, French style.”

Grisanti loved the flavor. “I’m more into a crepe style pancake that’s thinner. And that’s what they had. And, man, you can eat 20 of them without even knowing about it.”

He discovered the pancakes were made from a recipe from Louis Holland, one of the owners, who dined at Ronnie Grisanti’s. “I would sit down with him at dinner like I do and chit chat and talk. And we got to talking about pizzas. And he goes, ‘Judd, you know, Harbor Town is really looking for some pizzas.’”

And, Holland told him, “We’re looking for something full time,” Grisanti says.

“I said, ‘Why don’t we do something with Tug’s.’”

And, Grisanti told Holland, “I would love to help you guys and get you started. And get you up and going. Put the people in place and we’ll make this happen.”

Tug’s Casual Grill is at 51 Harbor Town Square; (901) 260-3344

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Sneak Peek at Ronnie Grisanti’s

CREDIT: MIchael Donahue

MIchael Donahue

Ronnie Grisanti’s restaurant in the Regalia shopping center is slated to open Sept. 28.

You can go home again — if you’re a fan of the late Ronnie Grisanti and his uncle Big John Grisanti.

But you’ll have to wait until September 28th. That’s when Ronnie Grisanti’s, the new restaurant owned by chef Judd Grisanti, son of Ronnie Grisanti, is slated to open at 6150 Poplar in the Regalia shopping center.

Ronnie Grisanti’s is reminiscent of the restaurant owned by Ronnie on Poplar and the one owned by Big John on Airways. The new 4,700 square-foot restaurant, in shades of burgundy wine and gold, features seating for 132 inside and 26 outside on the patio. It evokes the past but it also is contemporary.

The menu includes Grisanti favorites, but it also will include some high-tech dishes made with kitchen equipment that wasn’t around when Judd’s grandfather, Elfo Grisanti, had a restaurant on South Main.

“It’s all the old Grisanti’s traditional stuff like the stuffed raviolis, lasagna, Italian sauce — stuff we’re known for — manicotti and those things. Toasted raviolis. But then putting a little bit of new world to it.”

Judd now will be using sous vide, liquid nitrogen, and a smoke gun. “I’m going to the future here. I had to re-educate myself on all those in the past year.”

He’ll use liquid nitrogen to make cocktail sauce for his oysters. “To make it more like a sorbet. The sorbet keeps the Northeast coast oysters cold while they’re eating them. I put a little bit of the sorbet on each oyster.”

Judd also bought an oven from Italy. “This is an electric oven that goes up to 1,400 degrees and cooks the most perfect pizza you ever had.”

As for the restaurant’s traditional/modern decor, Judd says, “I wanted something new and old. In Italy, they have all these old buildings, but they have a little modern twist to them inside. It’s amazing how they do the new and the old together. And I wanted something like that.”

Booths and a mural — both integral parts of Ronnie Grisanti restaurants — are included in the new Ronnie Grisanti’s. Bill Turri painted the massive mural of Lucca on the North wall that includes “all the hot spots,” Judd says.”That’s our home town.”

The new Ronnie Grisanti’s restaurant is a tribute “to my grandfather, to my uncle, and to my dad,” Judd says. “They paved the road for me. I played in the kitchen at Airways as a child. That was my playground. I literally grew up in the kitchen with my dad and my uncles.”

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