Today we’d like to introduce you to Gionna Forte.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My father, Jerry and his family, came to America from Italy when he was only 10 years old to seek a better life. Though he wanted to pursue carpentry, he ended up in the food buisness and opened The Godfather in 1975 on the corner of Ronald Drive and Ridgedale Ave. in East Hanover, NJ.
In 1988 he relocated to a larger location on Route 10, where we stand today. The business kept growing, with more space, from a pizzeria, to a fine-dining Italian restaurant named Gionna’s. After the purchase of a liquor license, Gionna’s became The Godfather Seafood Bar &Grill, as we are today, fully furnished with a brick oven pizza and & raw bar.
In the heart of it all sits our pizzeria with capacity for dine-in meals, take-out, delivery & catering.
In 2023 we expanded even further with fitting out additional space for an on-premise event space for parties & special events.
Jerry, and 4 of his 8 children work today to continue the America dream Jerry has built for himself and his family. For the past 51 years, we have been a local staple, where we know your name and treat you as family.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For decades, Jerry worked 7 days a week, making pizza, behind the line, on the floor chatting with customers. He missed his kids sports games and holidays to keep the business a float and running smoothly. Only in the last 10 years has he been able to step back and let his kids handle business as usual. Though you will find Jerry in the building, making improvements and fixing what needs fixing, but most importantly welcoming and reminiscing with our regulars, as well as new faces joining us for dinner.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We are known for our pizza, first and foremost. We do not cut corners on cost for our ingredients. We pride ourselves on selecting and cooking with fresh, quality ingredients. Our pizza cheese in shredded in our hopper, our sauces, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, pizza dough, and more are all made in-house on a daily and weekly basis.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
We see culture trending back towards tradition and roots, while maintaining a level of innovation and exploration. We are working on a sourdough pizza crust, fresh cut pasta, to get back to our roots and traditional ways of cooking, while keeping flavor and freshness at the forefront.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thegodfather1975.com
- Instagram: @godfatherofeh
