Larkin A. Grisanti

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Larkin A. Grisanti is the general manager of the Frank Grisanti fine dining restaurant at Embassy Suites and vice-president of Foodline Services, Inc.  In addition to assisting his father, Frank, in running the day-to-day operations of the restaurant, he is actively involved in the product development of Italian marinara and meat sauces for the Retail Food Division under the Grisanti name.

Larkin inherited great culinary genes, growing up around Grisanti kitchens and near the expertise of Grandfather Elfo Grisanti, Uncle John Grisanti, and his father, Frank Grisanti, who serves on the National Restaurant Association board of directors. His first experience cooking with a celebrity chef was as a young 13-year-old boy. The celebrity was the incomparable Julia Childs during a special event at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.

In college, he sought a unique degree that would help bolster his role in the family business. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in small business/entrepreneurship from the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Larkin recently served as a guest chef at Viking cooking school at their Memphis location and works closely  with the Memphis Food and Wine Society. Larkin was honored to be included in the Oklahoma State University School of Hospitality’s Distinguished Chef Series and has cooked at the prestigious Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Mississippi.  He has “created” alongside Celebrity Chefs for fund-raising events, during MIFA’s Cocktails in the Kitchen, Hess wine dinners, and a myriad of other galas to raise money for charitable causes, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Larkin also co-authored the Frank Grisanti and Sons The Main Course cookbook, published by Wimmer, featuring more than 100 recipes that represent nearly a century of northern Italian cooking in the Mid-South. Larkin’s wine expertise, implemented expertly at the restaurant, has garnered multiple Wine Spectator magazine awards. In 2006, Larkin was selected among 150 nominees as one of the Memphis Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40.” Larkin was honored with this award, which recognizes professional, civic and community involvement accomplishments.