Cooking with Gregory Author:Gregory J Andro My roots are Italian. — I know my last name of Andro confuses many people. They may think I'm Greek. But no, I'm Italian...100 percent! My paternal grandparents came to America from Italy and finding the name of Andreucci difficult to pronounce, changed it. To Andro. — I am also a cook. I know that I own many reastaurants and employ many cook... more »s, but what they cook are my recipes!
Having a young family to support when I was still in my teens, I had to forget football (my first love) and decide how best to support my family.
I have always enjoyed food --my size attests to that!-- and I come from a family (on both sides) of Italians who, like me, love to cook. And to eat. So the next best thing to football seemed to be becoming a chef.
I attended chef school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and cooked for a short while in my hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin. my uncle, Rocky Costanzo, owned 'Rocky's Hideaway' in Phoenix, Arizona and in 1959 he offered me a position as chef in his restaurant. I moved to Phoenix and have lived there ever since.
Maybe there is something to the idea that "fate leads the way" ..because my uncle became very ill and passed away in 1973. He and Bob Woolley had been planning a restaurant in Bob's Grananda Royale Hometel Embassy Suite at 24th Street and Thomas in Phoenix and with the loss of Rocky, Bob approached me.
And the rest is history...
I have many people to thank for my success and the list could take up many pages. I've only been 'allotted' one..and I do want to mention a few people, including the many friends I have made doing my "Cooking with Gregory" cooking classes. I began "Cooking with Gregory" for organizations wishing to raise money for charity and I truly enjoy doing these classes. I try not to turn down any requests to do them.
I cannot forget to thank Rose Mofford, one of my dearest friends. And Sherman Goodrich, for his creativity and friendship (he does the "little guy" caricatures).. and Bob Woolley for the many good times and for his support. Thanks to Mona at Mona Roman Advertising, for her talents and the many hours she spent bringing this cookbook to life. Special thanks to D.P...and the list goes on