Originally from Naples, Italy, Gianfranco Sorrentino carries over 45 years of experience in restaurant management at properties including Quisisana Hotel in Capri, Dorchester Hotel in London, Four Seasons Hotel in Tokyo, and Bice Restaurant in New York. In 1990, he opened Sette MoMA Restaurant at The Museum of Modern Art of New York (1990-2002). In September 2001, he opened Il Gattopardo restaurant, across the street from MoMA, along with his wife Paula Bolla-Sorrentino and his Executive Chef Vito Gnazzo. In 2002 they’ve opened Union Bar and Grill in Great Barrington, Massachusetts (2002-2006), and in May 2011, The Leopard at des Artistes restaurant was born in the New York landmark Hotel des Artistes. Mozzarella & Vino, the youngest sibling of the family, opened in 2014 in the old Il Gattopardo space, when Il Gattopardo moved down the block to its current location in the historically landmarked Rockefeller Townhouses.
Gianfranco’s lifelong dedication and passion to the hospitality industry and the Italian culinary culture led him to push forward on Gruppo Italiano’s mission as the nonprofit organization’s President. Gruppo Italiano (GI) is dedicated to fostering genuine Italian products and the culinary culture through education, promoting a constant flow of information among member restaurants, producers, importers, and distributors of authentic Italian products, with the press, culinary schools, and the general public with a serious passion for authentic Italian food and wine.