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Frugatti's celebrates 15 years on Coffee Road
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Posted by lward Fri Sep 9, 2005 13:17:00 PDT
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1 response 0 comments When Ralph Fruguglietti was a child in Grumento Nova, Italy, he would go with his mother to the local bakery to make pizzas in the wood-fired oven they opened to the public on weekends.

Though the Fruguglietti family moved to the States when Ralph was 6, those weekend sessions of fresh crust, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes left a mark on his soul as permanent as marinara on a white shirt.

Fruguglietti grew up in the Bay Area and majored in business at the University of Southern California. During those college summers he'd travel to Italy to throw the discus for their national team.

"I'd have a lot of free time, so I'd go out to eat and spend lots of time with the restaurant owners, getting their input on recipes," he said.

Fruguglietti moved to Shafter with his wife, Anne, in 1980, and he spent a few years working for IBM.

Then he did what he always wanted to do. He opened a restaurant -- Giovanni's -- in Shafter. Then came two more -- Bootleggers and Frugatti's, which opened in 1990 on Coffee Road to instant success.

The years have brought changes. It was goodbye to Bootleggers and Giovanni's (Fruguglietti sold Giovanni's to his neighbor a year and a half ago), which he said allows him to focus more on Frugatti's.

"I like to be here out at the tables taking. Who's going to be able to sell better than me?" said Fruguglietti.

Frugatti's has also withstood the influx of Italian franchises and chains.

"I see it as a good thing. Their arrival makes independents work harder to maintain the customer base we have," he said.

Frugatti's also went through a complete remodel, completed in May, which included the addition of a patio area, a new warm color on the walls and black-and-white photos from the Old Country.

One of the photos is featured in the restaurant's new logo, accompanied by the phrase "real Italian by real Italians," which Fruguglietti said Pete Tittl mentioned in a recent review.

"He said the logo features a family 'straight out of 'The Sopranos'' enjoying a meal, but the funny thing is, that's actually my family," said Fruguglietti, chuckling. He's the little boy in the far right of the photo.

Since the remodel, business has increased by 25 percent, said Fruguglietti, who said a recent experiment with staying open from lunch through dinner has also resulted in more profits.

The restaurant is doing more catering, as well, including weddings.

The years have also shown the Fruguglietti family grow and mature.

Ralph and Anne's four children -- J.P., Anthony, Katina and Theresa -- all help out at the restaurant.

The menu has also evolved, from California-style to authentic southern Italian. Once pizza-heavy, it now includes steaks, fish, chicken and lasagna.

Fruguglietti is always experimenting with new items in the kitchen, which he runs by the family, the staff and regulars.

Noni's Pizza, in honor of his mother, is currently available. It's a rectangular pizza with a thin-crust covered in fresh tomato, garlic and basil.

"The servers keep asking for it, which is always a good indication of an item's success," said Fruguglietti.

He's also considering doing more family-style dishes, so those devotees of hands-down favorites like the garlic chicken fettuccini ($13.25) and garlic chicken calzone ($12.25) might be able to try something different once in a while.

Lunch items include the zucchini and mushroom lasagna ($9.40) and meatball sandwich ($6.85), sandwich specials from $6.75 to $8.25, pasta specials from $8.25 to $9.50 and a personal pizza and soda for $7.50.

Dinner choices include appetizers such as the spicy parmesan chicken "things" ($6.85) or basil pesto bread ($4.75).

Light eaters might opt for the Thai chicken salad ($9.25) or a cup of minestrone soup ($2.40).

Calzones include the garlic chicken ($12.15) or "Your Choice" calzones ($11).

Wood-fired pizzas include the shrimp basil ($15) and sausage and meatball pizza ($12.90).

Entrees include the chicken breast with white wine mushroom sauce ($14.75), crab and shrimp ravioli ($15.95), Frugatti's steak toscana ($15) or roasted red pepper pesto chicken with sun-dried tomatoes ($13.25).

Desserts, made in-house, include the triple chocolate cheesecake ($5) and killer carrot cake ($4.05).

Kids' items range from $4.25 to $5.95.

Dinner family packs feed four to five people and range from $24.95 to $34.95.

Despite the success he's had, Fruguglietti remains unassuming.

"They might mix it up a little, but everyone has about five main restaurants they frequent. All we ask is that you let us be one of those five," he said.

Frugatti's Italian Eatery
836-2000
600 Coffee Road
Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.- 9:30 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Sunday: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

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