Gian Franco Romagnoli
Encyclopedia
Gian Franco Romagnoli was an Italian
chef
, author
, and television personality. He hosted The Romagnolis’ Table, an American program about Italian cookery, alongside his wife Margaret, from 1973 to 1975.
Born in Italy, Romagnoli trained as a cameraman and a director
. While working at a film studio he met Margaret O’Neill, an American
information officer for the Marshall Plan
. She became his supervisor, and the pair married in 1952. Due to American government regulations Margaret lost her job. The couple left for America in 1955.
The pair moved to Watertown, Massachusetts
, and Romagnoli got a job as a cameraman at WGBH-TV
. He later worked as a cinematographer
. After a trip back to Italy the couple put forward the idea of an Italian home cooking program. The Romagnolis’ Table made its debut in 1973 and lasted until 1975. The show was originally broadcast on WGBH but was later shown by PBS.
After the show ended Romagnoli opened up a restaurant
under the same name. The restaurant operated for 10 years and closed in 1989. Romagnoli also opened two sister restaurants and released three cook books.
Margaret died in 1995. Romagnoli remarried in 1998 to Gwen O’Sullivan. The pair wrote two travel books about Italy and its cuisine. Romagnoli died on December 15, 2008.
His last book, The Bicycle Runner: A Memoir of Love, Loyalty, and the Italian Resistance, was published in 2009, after his death. His wife-to-be Gwen spotted the manuscript in a bottom drawer in 1996 and brought it to light. The book is his reminiscences of "growing up in Italy during the war", of his experiences in the fascist Youth Organization, and his joining the underground Resistance. Racing around Rome on bicycles, he smuggled messages and weapons for the partisans.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and television personality. He hosted The Romagnolis’ Table, an American program about Italian cookery, alongside his wife Margaret, from 1973 to 1975.
Born in Italy, Romagnoli trained as a cameraman and a director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. While working at a film studio he met Margaret O’Neill, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
information officer for the Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
. She became his supervisor, and the pair married in 1952. Due to American government regulations Margaret lost her job. The couple left for America in 1955.
The pair moved to Watertown, Massachusetts
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
, and Romagnoli got a job as a cameraman at WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
. He later worked as a cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
. After a trip back to Italy the couple put forward the idea of an Italian home cooking program. The Romagnolis’ Table made its debut in 1973 and lasted until 1975. The show was originally broadcast on WGBH but was later shown by PBS.
After the show ended Romagnoli opened up a restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
under the same name. The restaurant operated for 10 years and closed in 1989. Romagnoli also opened two sister restaurants and released three cook books.
Margaret died in 1995. Romagnoli remarried in 1998 to Gwen O’Sullivan. The pair wrote two travel books about Italy and its cuisine. Romagnoli died on December 15, 2008.
His last book, The Bicycle Runner: A Memoir of Love, Loyalty, and the Italian Resistance, was published in 2009, after his death. His wife-to-be Gwen spotted the manuscript in a bottom drawer in 1996 and brought it to light. The book is his reminiscences of "growing up in Italy during the war", of his experiences in the fascist Youth Organization, and his joining the underground Resistance. Racing around Rome on bicycles, he smuggled messages and weapons for the partisans.