During the covid-19 pandemic, U.S. marketing executive Frank Grillo took a leap of faith and moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Puglia, Italy, to continue working remotely. Born of Sicilian heritage, Grillo and his partner embraced Italy’s La Dolce Vita, cooking large meals and drinking the wines of Apulia.
Frank Grillo at home in Puglia
However, it was Puglia’s Pane di Altamura D.O.P. that sparked Grillo’s entrepreneurial spirit to create a wheat based premium Italian vodka. This chewy, nutty bread, made from a mixture of re-milled durum wheat, semolina, sourdough, sourdough starter and salt, formed into a large triangular folded loaf, was the first in Europe to attain protected designation of origin status in 2003. Grillo set out to create a “liquid bread” that reflected the umami of this ancient bread.
Pane de Altamura DOP By Nikotota – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
The result is Altamura Vodka, named for the walled city where this bread is exclusively produced. The bottle bears a lion, the symbol of this fortressed city, and the colors of Puglia: yellow (sun), turquoise (sea) and red (earth).
We broke bread with Frank Grillo and his team at his birthday lunch at Galatoire’s in New Orleans during Tales of the Cocktail. He celebrates at Galatoire’s every year. And that day, the three-martini lunch was in full swing along with live music and much fanfare.
With Frank Grillo at Galatoire’s in New Orleans
Listen to our conversation with Frank Grillo on The Connected Table LIVE!