IL GATTOPARDO is committed to producing top quality gastronomy, to the use of fresh and well-researched ingredients, and to keeping the tradition of Italian culture vibrant and passionate. Named after the 1963 classic Italian film, “The Leopard”, starring Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale, and directed by the legendary filmmaker Luchino Visconti, Il Gattopardo serves traditional Southern Italian comfort food that has been adapted for the contemporary palate without compromising the authenticity of the cuisine, which became a must to its loyal upscale New Yorker clientele.

Located in a ground floor of a townhouse in the heart of Manhattan, the sixty-seat restaurant and the twenty-seat garden was restored by the architecture firm of Terrence Riley, Keenan/Riley, Former Chief Curator of the Architecture and Design Department of The Museum of Modern Art of New York, where the restaurateur Gianfranco Sorrentino ran the entire food operation, by Sette MoMA Restaurant, in that Museum for nearly ten years.

Originally from Naples, Italy, GIANFRANCO SORRENTINO carries over 30 years of experience in restaurant management, some of these include Quisitana Hotel in Capri, Dorchester Hotel in London, Four Seasons Hotel in Tokyo, Bice Restaurant in New York, Sette MoMA Restaurant at The Museum of Modern Art of New York, and Union Bar and Grill in Great Barrington, MA. In September 2001 he opened IL GATTOPARDO, just across the street from MoMA, along with his wife PAULA BOLLA SORRENTINO, and his talented Executive Chef Vito Gnazzo

Born and raised in the town of Salerno, Amalfi Coast in Italy, VITO GNAZZO began his culinary career at the three Michelin Star restaurant Antica Osteria del Ponte, in Milan. In 1981 Mr. Gnazzo immigrated to United States to work as Head Chef at one of the best restaurants in the state of California, Il Rex. In 1993 he moved to New York and became Executive Chef atSette MoMA, where he meet the restaurateur Gianfranco Sorrentino.