Al Forno Co-Founder George Germon Passes Away
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
GoLocalProv News Team
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Photo: alforno.com
George Germon, who opened the award-winning Al Forno restaurant in Providence in 1980 along with Johanne Killeen, passed away on Tuesday.
Al Forno is consistently named a top spot in Rhode Island -- and the country -- for its pizza and Italian cuisine.
Food and Wine Magazine wrote of Al Forno when it dubbed the Providence restaurant among the tops across the nation:
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"Food & Wine honored Al Forno for launching 'a new era of ambitious cooking in Providence [in 1980] with their thin-crusted grilled pizzas topped with superfresh ingredients.' The editors singled out Al Forno's Margarita Pizza (with house-made pomodoro, fresh herbs, two cheeses and extra virgin olive oil) as the signature item."
Germon's History, Impact
According to Al Forno:
Al Forno Restaurant opened on January 2, 1980. Chef-owners Johanne Killeen & George Germon bring simple renditions of food rooted in the various regions of Italy to their riverfront restaurant kitchen. Dishes are re-crafted to reflect the products of New England's farms and waters cooked in wood-burning ovens and on grills over hardwood charcoal fires. Their training in the fine arts is evident in the original, creative techniques used for signature dishes such as Grilled Pizza, High-Heat Roasted Veggie Entree, Dirty Steak with Hot Fanny Sauce, Clams Al Forno, a unique collection of Baked Pasta, and made-to-order desserts such as Hand-Churned Ice Cream, Fresh Fruit Tarts, Baby Cakes, and the Grand Cookie FInale. The innovative cooking at Al Forno has produced a trail of George and Johanne's dishes all over the world.
Killeen and Germon became enamored of Italian cuisine when they lived and traveled throughout Italy. Johanne worked in a tiny restaurant outside of Florence, and George taught for Rhode Island School of Design’s European Honors Program in Rome at Palazzo Cenci.
For more on Germon, go here.
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