The Soprano’s Vito Spatafore had arguably one of the best character arcs of the whole series. And when he wasn’t being a bully towards Finn de Trolio, he seemed like one of the more even-tempered and fun members of Tony’s crew. Someone you’d love to join for dinner at a table at Nuovo Vesuvio. As great as The Sopranos was — it essentially started our current Golden Age of Television — it left a lot of people with unanswered questions. I for one, wonder why Tony Soprano, Body Bacala, Vita Spatafore and Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David all own the same black and white rockabilly shirt. While that probably isn’t YOUR most pressing question, Joseph Gannascoli, the actor who played Vito, is happy to answer whatever Sopranos-related questions you’ve been stewing on all these years, and best of all he’ll do it while cooking a homemade Italian dinner for you and your friends.
Before Gannascoli landed his iconic role on The Sopranos, the Brooklyn native had a career as a chef, starting in Manhattan and spending some time at New Orleans staple, Commander’s Palace. Now Gannascoli has returned to his roots, Food & Wine reports that the chef-turned-actor began hosting private dinner parties in the New York area a year ago, first by word-of-mouth and later by way of requests after fans began posting photos to a local New York Facebook group.
“Cooking really is my first passion and love,” Gannascoli told Food & Wine, “I started in Manhattan, had restaurants in Brooklyn… I got into a little trouble in restaurants with gambling, so that’s when I sold the restaurant and moved to L.A.” Say what? Sounds like Gannascoli has his own Sopranos-worthy stories to tell, and we’re sure lots of odd gems like this will come up in the 10-hour dinner.
Yes, that’s right, Gannascoli’s private dinner parties are generally around 10 hours long, because you know, “the sauce has got to cook,” and consist of an antipasto dish, before moving on to a clam and red sauce dish, which is Gannascoli’s specialty. During the 10 hours, Gannascoli is happy to answer any Sopranos-related questions, tell stories from the set, pose for photos and sign autographs and maybe, just maybe, you can get him drunk enough to spill any details he may have regarding the upcoming Sopranos movie.
If you’re interested in chopping it up with Vito, a dinner costs $125 a head plus food expenses. Hit up Gannascoli via Twitter!
