It has somehow been 12 years since The Sopranos ended with an abrupt black screen and an incongruous burst of Journey. But the show’s popularity endures, and anyone even remotely connected to its titular family can probably dine out on it for another decade-plus. Or, in the case of Joseph Gannascoli, you can hire him to cook a meal and hang around in your kitchen for upwards of 10 hours.
Gannascoli, who played Vito Spatafore in 38 episodes, has been hosting private dinners in Sopranos’ fans’ own homes, prepping Italian food for as many as 50 guests while he talks about the show and asks Sopranos-themed trivia questions to anyone in earshot. (And in case it comes up, he’s one of the few actors who played two different characters on the show, originally making an appearance as a bakery customer named Gino before being re-cast as Vito. You’re welcome.)
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“I’m usually at their house about 10 hours,” he told Page Six. “People say it’s been the greatest party they’ve been to!” The 60-year old trained chef-turned-actor-turned-chef again said that he usually prepares an antipasto platter, as well as two pasta dishes during these outings.
“Such a great Sopranos party! [Gannascoli] told us all the inside scoop and answered so many questions, took loads of pics with us, tee shirts and autographed photos and made the most delicious dinner,” one of his customers wrote on Facebook. “Highly recommend for a special night!”
Gannascoli has also done guest stints at Italian restaurants in Long Island and Queens, New York, cooking spaghetti carbonara during a series of “Murderously Delicious Wednesday” events at Pomodorino Trattoria Italiano during the summer.
He’s also an author who co-wrote A Meal to Die For, a novel about—what else?—a Brooklyn chef and Mafia associate who’s hired to make a meal for a group of made men, knowing that somebody will probably get murdered before dessert is served. (The book, which is currently No. 7,064 in Amazon’s Cozy Culinary Mysteries category, has a four-star rating on the site, despite the negative review from a person who seemed surprised by the “mob pressure, crime, and threats” present in the plot.)
If you can’t swing having Gannascoli in your own kitchen (or if you just don’t have, like, 10 hours to listen to somebody else’s early-aughts memories), he can also be hired to record a personalized holiday message for you or your loved one. Each video is $59, which is more than it costs for former pro wrestler Ted “The Million Dollar Man” Dibiase ($50) and the UK’s Number One Donald Trump impersonator ($39), but less than Andy Dick ($99) and perennial Times Square performer The Naked Cowboy ($100).
Or you could just go out for some carbonara and call it a day.
