History of Fante's

Who we are...
Fante's is a family retail business, located in the heart of Philadelphia's historic Italian Market since 1906.

What we do...
We specialize in utensils for the kitchen, and feature on this web site select products from our inventory that may not readily be available elsewhere. Our Philadelphia store includes a full selection of cookware, cutlery and thousands more products.

Fante's was founded in January 1906, by the immigrants Domenico Fante, a stone mason, and his son, Luigi L. Fante, Sr. The entire family was devoted to the business, which was located, as it still is, in Philadelphia's historic Italian Market.

Luigi took charge of the business after Domenico's death. Luigi was a dutiful member of the community, and fought hard for human rights for the underprivileged in the neighborhood.

Luigi and Carmela with their children
Rose, Teresa, Frank, Dominic, Josephine
1912

When Luigi passed away, early in the life of the business, it was passed on to his wife and his sons (Dominic, Frank and Louis). Dominic took on his father's role and became very vocal in the neighborhood, much to the community's benefit.

Together with their sisters (Rose, Josephine and Theresa), and their spouses, they strived to keep their respected business prospering by constantly varying it to meet the changing demand for products and services. They made venetian blinds, installed entire kitchens, sold furnishings, imported china, crystal and other goods from Europe.

During the second World War, when goods for resale were hard to come by, they purchased distressed goods, repaired and resold them. The addition of a plethora of items for the kitchen made Fante's famous as a popular stop for these goods.

One of the family members, Jeanne Fante, brought back expertise and goods from France, England and Australia that made Fante's the only place in the area, and probably in the entire country, where pastry chefs could readily obtain equipment for decorating cakes. Courses offered in the art of cake decorating to chefs and restaurateurs became very fashionable.

In the early 1960's, Fante's mail order catalog contained a wealth of hard to find goods and was successfully sought after by people throughout the country. Many articles were written about the unusual kitchen goods that could be found there, and Fante's became a virtual mecca for chefs and cooks from around the world.

In April 1981, the Fante family retired and Mariella Giovannucci, then General Manager of the store, took over the business as President, having worked with the family for over a decade. The families became acquainted in the mid 1960's, when the Giovannucci family emigrated to Philadelphia from northern Italy. Dominic Fante and his family helped to relieve the culture shock and even employed Mariella and her siblings after school.

Under the guidance of the Giovannucci family, Fante's direction became even more focused on goods for the preparation and service of food, while carrying on the tradition of the Fante family, in providing quality in wares and excellence in service.

A renowned Philadelphia tradition, Fante's is nationally acknowledged as one of the finest in the housewares industry. Over the years, Fante's continues to receive recognition from countless newspaper, magazine, and web articles, as well as from food related programs on television and radio.

Famous chefs and cookbook writers make it a point to stop at the original Italian Market store when in Philadelphia, and you'll find Fante's listed as a resource in many of their books.

We are proud to serve our clients in the Philadelphia area and throughout the United States.

Our staff...

Our customers are the lifeblood of our business, and our employees sustain and invigorate that relationship.

Quite a few of our staff members have been with us more than 25 years, many have foodservice backgrounds.

Mariella, our other family members and staff welcome you and are always happy to offer you their helpful knowledge and expertise.

Some of our famous friends and visitors...

Emeril Lagasse
and Mariella

Amy Coleman

Two Hot Tamales
Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger

Lorenza De Medici
with family

Curtis Aikens
with Marianne

Barbara Kafka

Biba Caggiano

Philip Margolis

Mario Batali

The Marcato Family and Dad
The Marcato Family with Dad

Jacques Pepin
and Mariella

Rose Levy Beranbaum

Christina Pirello, of Christina Cooks
Christina Pirello

Biker Billy

Natalie MacLean

Merle Ellis, The Butcher
Merle Ellis

Martin Yan

Nathalie Dupree

Julia Child with Allan Kalish, Judy Faye, and Daniele

Santa with Gina and Annie
Santa Joe with Gina and Annie