About the Chef

Frank's culinary interest goes back to his Italian grandparents.  His grandmother, Sarah (Mema, as Frank would call her), was born and raised in Brooklyn.  His grandfather Costantino (Mepa) arrived  in New York by way of Ellis Island in 1911, when he was 16 years old.  He was born in Toccanisi, a small hill town in Italy near Benevento, just outside Naples. 

As a young boy Frank anxiously awaited Sunday mornings when he would help his grandmother make endless strands of homemade pasta, then hang them to dry in every available space in her cramped kitchen just outside of New York City.  One of Sarah's specialties was the traditional Italian meatball, and her secret ingredient was white bread soaked in milk, which gives the meatball a delectable texture, a recipe that Frank still follows today.

From the family greenhouse Frank helped his grandfather pick bushels of fresh vegetables and herbs, where he learned to appreciate seeing the fresh food transformed directly onto the dinner table, or used for canning or freezing to be savored during the winter months.

(Frank's Grandparents, Foreground Center; Frank's Father, Background Center)

Frank grew accustomed to the livelihood of their Sunday afternoon meals, where twenty-five family members would gather to enjoy the fruits of his grandparents' labor.   

While living in New York, Frank's creativity took the form of abstract painting, and he was influenced by masters such as Picasso, Pollack, Braque and Kandinsky.  After moving to California later in life, his creativity moved from the canvas back to the palate.  Once again influenced by his own family's tradition, combined with frequent trips to Italy and Sicily with his wife, his passion for Italian and Mediterranean-style cuisine inspired him to create Coviello Catering.  He now resides in Sonoma County where he grows his own vegetables and fresh herbs, incorporating them into his culinary creations.  Frank appreciates the farm freshness of Sonoma, and it reminds him of his grandparents and how they shared their love for food with family and friends.