By Taylor Oliver and Renee Perron
The smell of fried dough permeates through the 17th street Farmers Market, enticing people as they stroll past. The source of this tempting scent is none other than Frank Governali. As a weekly vendor at the market, Frank cooks up specialty items such as steak on a stick, fried strawberries and fried Snickers. This weekend he’ll also be competing in the 2nd Annual Shockoe Chef Showdown at the market, placing his fried items on the judge’s plates.
Childhood
Before he began frying, Governali grew up a native Long Islander in a quiet neighborhood far from the fast paced life of New York City. He left home at the age of eleven and got his first apartment when he was thirteen. About four years ago, Governali came to Richmond on a whim to help out a friend.
Life in Richmond
Although he didn’t initially intend on staying, he ended up staying in the capital city for the next few years. His love of cooking led him to create Mark Anthony’s Menu, which offers catering services and fresh specialty items. The company was inspired by a tragic event in Governali’s life. His brother passed away in 2003 at the young age of seventeen. After his death, Governali took to food as a memorial to his brother, who also shared his passion to cook. It was cooking that helped him get through the tough time.
Life at the Market
Today marks his ninth day at the 17th street Farmers Market in Shockoe Bottom and already fans have stopped by to see what he is cooking up. Cindy Adams, a photography vendor at the Market, walks by to check out the menu selection. Her personal favorite is the zeppole or as what she describes as the “Italian fried dough”. Other favorites include the fried sausage and peppers. Another vendor, Mary Kroll otherwise known as “the goat lady” praises Governali for his variations on zeppole.
“This past Thursday he did zeppole with Creole shrimp in the middle topped with bleu cheese, which sounds like a strange combination, it was actually marvelous,” she said.
Today is a special occasion as he places his dishes to the test at the 2nd Annual Chef Showdown. His fried strawberries, zeppoli and steak on a stick are among the dishes being tasted for the competition. For the big day, Governali has his sous chef Chris Gibson to help in preparing the dishes. Gibson praises Governali for his food and character:
“It doesn’t even feel like going to work it’s more hanging out and enjoying the market,” he said.
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Want to hear more about how the Chef Showdown was put together? Click here to listen to a podcast from two of the event coordinators.
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Future
In the future Governali hopes to open up his own restaurant which would feature affordable dishes in a café atmosphere. As he describes his perfect restaurant Governali makes a point to say that it is important to him to give back and help those that are less fortunate. He strives to be able to create a restaurant where everyone can afford to eat and he can showcase his talent.
As people pass by, Governali calls out to them and invites them to try his food. If they seem hesitant at all, he offers them a fried shrimp or strawberry for free. He explains that he just enjoys seeing the look on people’s faces when they try his food, and that is why he keeps cooking.
“I’m living my dream, this is my dream” said Governali.
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To see more pictures and hear music from the 2nd Annual Shockoe Chef’s Showdown, click on the picture above.
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