Exclusive: Tampa restaurateur Jeff Gigante is partnering with real estate maven Andrew Wright to form a new hospitality company
Exclusive: Tampa restaurateur Jeff Gigante is partnering with real estate maven Andrew Wright to form a new hospitality company
Tampa restaurateur Jeff Gigante is joining forces with real estate maven Andrew Wright to form Next Level Brands Holdings, a new hospitality company that will debut its first concept at a property Wright owns in the Westshore business district.
Next Level Brands is an evolution of Gigante Hospitality, which Gigante formed in 2018 to open Forbici Modern Italian in Hyde Park Village. His business partner in Gigante Hospitality, Joseph Guggino, will remain a partner in Next Level Brands. Forbici investors James Lanza and Luis Flores, who are partners in Ciccio Restaurant Group, are not involved with Next Level Brands.
Gigante is best known in the Tampa Bay area as a co-founder of CRG, the parent company of Fresh Kitchen, Cali and several other restaurant brands. Since opening Forbici, Gigante says, he's reduced his role in CRG to a "small passive investor."
"We had a great run together," Gigante said of Lanza and Flores. "I've never been more excited to build my future partnership, bringing amazing concepts to the Tampa Bay area."
Gigante said he's long considered working with Wright in some capacity, but this is the first time they've had the opportunity.
"I've had a great relationship with Andrew for about seven years now and always had that kismet mentality," Gigante said, "but my involvement in CRG kind of precluded that."