photograph by michael donahue
Jamil Leake and Michael Robilio display servings of Italian spinach and lasagna.
Lucchesi’s Ravioli & Pasta Company is famous for its lasagna, ravioli, and spaghetti, but “Italian spinach is number one,” says Lucchesi’s majority owner Michael Robilio.
The spinach recipe was among the formulas he acquired when Robilio bought the business from Vince and Pat Lucchesi in 1999. “The Lucchesis took their spinach and they slow-cooked it with not a lot of ingredients. I’m not going to tell you all the ingredients, but at Christmas time we were cooking over 500 pounds of spinach a day. We cook 90 pounds every day now.”
They sell the spinach in two-pound and 13-ounce containers.
Lasagna is the top-selling pasta dish. “We make our own pasta,” says Robilio, “and we make our own meat sauce.”
In the delicatessen, he says, “We sell a ton of our meatball sandwiches.” That one is as popular as their muffuletta, meatball hoagie, and their number-one sandwich — the turkey bacon ranch.
Lucchesi’s also does a booming business with more than 30 frozen casseroles, which include chicken Rotel, chicken enchiladas, and shrimp and grits. In addition to their own spaghetti, they offer “Ashley’s Chicken Spaghetti,” made from a recipe Robilio got from his wife, Huey’s chief operating officer Ashley Boggs Robilio. “It’s made with our homemade spaghetti, but it has mushrooms in it and seasonings and cooked chicken.”
They also sell low-carb and gluten-free items. In addition to their Mendenhall Commons store, which faces Sanderlin, nine area grocery stores feature Lucchesi’s products.
“I finally hit a home run with the casseroles,” he says, noting that the Take and Bake pizzas also are extremely popular. “You come in, order your pizza, it’s handed to you, and you take it home and cook it.” — Michael Robilio
Vince and Pat Lucchesi started Lucchesi’s in 1990, Robilio says. “It was just takeout with fresh lasagna and a couple of meals, like ravioli. They always made the ravioli, the pasta, and the sauce from scratch. We still do. We have not changed one of those recipes.”
Robilio bought Lucchesi’s when he decided to change businesses. “I wanted to sell my grocery store. I used to own Robilio’s Big Star, but I wanted to get out of the business and I did not want to work for anybody.”
He and a group of investors bought Lucchesi’s. Robilio later became the majority partner, with Wes Kraker and Mike Gabrielleschi as the other partners. “At one time we had two stores and three franchises, but that was very hard to do,” says Robilio. “We learned our lesson that going that fast, like a lot of people do, is not necessarily the best way to grow.”
They opened locations in Germantown and Collierville, as well as in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Louisville, Kentucky. “In ’07, we decided to close all the franchises and concentrate on our main store. We more than doubled the business” with just the Mendenhall Commons store, he says.
Except for the old Germantown store, Lucchesi’s had always been strictly takeout. “We did not have chairs and stuff,” says Robilio, who came up with different ways to improve the business. “I finally hit a home run with the casseroles,” he says, noting that the Take and Bake pizzas also are extremely popular. “You come in, order your pizza, it’s handed to you, and you take it home and cook it.”
Their house pizza is made with salami, pepperoni, Italian sausage, black olives, mushrooms, Roma tomatoes and a three-cheese blend: mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan.
photograph courtesy lucchesi's
Michael Donahue enjoys the above classics along with a refreshing sweet tea.
The “Miss Becky” pizza is made with mushrooms, black olives, mixed onions, green peppers, Roma tomatoes, fresh spinach, and the three-cheese blend, all topped with an olive oil glaze. “No red sauce on it.”
They now have tables and chairs for those who want to eat inside. “We do quite a bit of lunch business,” he says.” We mostly do sandwiches and salads, but we are able to take our single-serve entrees and heat those up. I had a guy in at 8:30 this morning sitting there eating spaghetti.”
Lucchesi’s manager Jamil Leake runs day-to-day operations, while Robilio says he now keeps one foot on the golf course. “I’m semi-retired right now. I’ve been working 47 years and I’m happy with my life. I’m content with where I’m at.”
He also has three grandchildren and says, “I like to spend time with them.” Do they all like Italian food? “The oldest one does. But the twins are just six months.”
Lucchesi’s Raviolii and Pasta Co. is at 540 South Mendenhall Road, Suite 3, in Mendenhall Commons.
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