Business partners and friends, native New Yorkers Mario Carbone and Jeff Zalaznick sit down to discuss their restaurant empire, Major Food Group, the iconic Carbone restaurant, and what it takes to make it in the competitive hospitality world.
Mario Carbone and Jeff Zalaznick, both Native New Yorkers, developed their love for food and the hospitality business amid the city's rich culinary landscape. Growing up surrounded by Italian cuisine and frequenting intimate, yet excellent restaurants like Chanterelle and Parkside, after crossing paths in the mid-2000s, they took a bold entrepreneurial leap by founding Major Food Group (MFG) in 2011 along with restaurateur Rich Torrisi. Since then, the business has blossomed into a hospitality empire, holding an impressive portfolio of restaurants and venues around the US, including Carbone, Torrisi, Sadelle's, ZZ's Club, and Parm. For the Culture Lounge's cuisine episode, Carbone and Zalaznick retell old tales, share their favorite dishes at Carbone, and talk about the creation of Carbone.