Alessandro Borgognone may have risen to international prominence virtually overnight with the success of Sushi Nakazawa, but he has worked in the restaurant industry his whole life. Along with his family he owns and operates four successful Italian restaurants — Patricia's in the Bronx and three locations of Patrizia's, in Staten Island, Brooklyn and Red Bank, NJ. While Sushi Nakazawa is his main focus, he has plenty of other things on his plate.
Borgognone lives on Staten Island, and starts his day by visiting his parents' home for coffee, after dropping off two of his three daughters at school. Next he heads over to meet with contractors at the house he recently purchased. From there he drives to Sushi Nakazawa, before looking at two potential spaces for new ventures in lower Manhattan. He is adamant, however, that there will only ever be one Sushi Nakazawa. Next, he heads up to the Bronx, where he visits Arthur Avenue to pick up supplies before heading to Patricia's where he inventories wine. The restaurant, he tells Eater, has the largest collection in the outer boroughs.
After a quick lunch and more coffee, he heads to Brooklyn to visit the Williamsburg outpost of Patrizia's before heading into Manhattan, back to Sushi Nakazawa. He finishes his evening the way he does most nights, with a quiet cigar on a stoop on Commerce Street before heading back to Staten Island.
