Raised in Torino, Fabio Granato's interest in building and architecture was fostered by working in the family's construction business at an early age.  During a college trip to New York, Fabio fell in love with the city, met a girl at Studio 54, and never left. He started working in the construction field where he was soon joined by his brother, Luciano. Together they formed the Brooklyn-based Red Hook Marble Company which specializes in commercial and residential fabrication. Mr. Granato's partnership with Vittorio Assaf was cemented in 1994 when the two friends found themselves lost at sea on a small sail boat.  Wearing only their bathing suits as they suffered from bitterly cold weather and severe hunger pains, the two fantasized about pasta and real Italian pizza.  Fabio said that he knew how to build the best Neapolitan authentic pizza oven in the world, while Vittorio revealed that he knew how to make the best pizza in the world.  Around 2am, while they were roughly tossed about the boat and drenched with bone chilling ocean spray, the adventurers made a pact to open a restaurant to serve the best pizzas and pastas in the world—if they survived.  Shortly thereafter, they were rescued by the Coast Guard and a few months later they fulfilled their promise by launching Serafina Fabulous Pizza on 79th and Madison.

Following the success of Serafina Fabulous Pizza, the two partners have gone on to open Serafina Fabulous Grill, Serafina Osteria, Serafina at The Time Hotel and Serafina Broadway. Frequented by celebrities, businessmen, families and tourists, each location features the highest quality food set in an exciting atmosphere. For those who want to savor the taste of their incredible Italian food at home, Serafina's Pasta Sauce comes in four varieties and is available in grocery stores throughout the U.S.

Expanding their culinary horizons beyond their Italian heritage, they teamed up with one of Vittorio's best friends, Le Bernardin's Eric Ripert, to create Geisha, an immensely popular Japanese fusion destination on the Upper East Side.  In 2008, they opened Brasserie Cognac in the Theater District where Chef Florian Hugo, a great-great-great grandson of poet Victor Hugo, serves fine French cuisine.  Most recently, the two embarked on a Mexican adventure by creating Mañana with the help of Chef Omar Luna and Mama Enriqueta Mendez from Mexico City.

Each restaurant has its own set of design and construction challenges. Fabio utilizes his talent and creativity to take on difficult locales to make them functional. In the case of Serafina Lafayette, Fabio worked within the context of a landmark building, while Serafina Fabulous Grill on 61st Street presented a different set of issues because of its townhouse location. Geisha required total reconstruction on the interior while maintaining the original shell. Some of Geisha's most spectacular features were created by Red Hook artisans, among them the restaurant's geometric bar crafted from terrazzo with mother-of-pearl inlay, and the limestone crown moldings on the exterior of the building. For this ambitious project, he collaborated with the famous Rockwell Group, as he did in the creation of Lollipop (now home to Mañana), and the theatrical, Fellini inspired Serafina Broadway.

In the partnership at Serafina Restaurant Group, Fabio is responsible for the design, construction, and renovation of the restaurants' spaces.  A tireless worker, Fabio remains boundlessly enthusiastic: "I love what I do. We create atmosphere, positive energy, and make people happy. We're selling good times and happiness.  It is great to see people smile because they ate well.  In the end, they thank you for it."