10/24/2022
By David Perritano
Gone are the days of square-shaped pizza slices, fish sticks, turkey-on-a-stick (yes, that was a real thing), or anything else that could be put on a stick. This isn’t your parent’s school lunch, or even yours for that matter. The dining experience crafted by Marcesco Foods, led by Frank and Maryanne Giambona has become one of the signature elements of the Holy Names experience, and a student favorite.
Frank has been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years. Together with wife Maryanne, they joined the Holy Names family ten years ago when their daughter, Gianna was in Pre-K. She’s now in eighth grade. At the time, Frank owned a restaurant and was hired for a pizza party for students, which led to making pizza once a week for the school. His popularity led to an offer of taking over the entirety of the food service here at AHN.
And that’s a wrap! Not really, but wraps are among the most popular items now featured on the menu here, along with chicken fingers, butter pasta, and fruit salad. What makes these seemingly common selections stand out from other service venues? Everything is prepared fresh on site. “I make it as if I was going to eat it,” Giambona says. If you order a roast beef sandwich, you are not getting something store bought or pre-packaged. It’s quality food presented with quality service, and students can tell the difference. Frank and Maryanne are among the most popular faces on campus, especially at events where they share their custom cookies with the Holy Names seal proudly displayed for all to see.
What keeps them coming back day after day, year after year? The answer is simple for Maryanne: “I like to cook, and I love the kids.” Frank adds, “I like seeing happy kids. That’s the driving force.”
BACK