Within two years, Cousin Vinny’s earned a Michelin Guide recommendation, appeared on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and began expanding across Tampa Bay. The road there was far messier than the success suggests.
Russell Leone was 13 when he began bussing tables in his cousins’ restaurants outside Syracuse. By 17, he was running locations for the family, a job he held until he was about 22.
A childhood friend and future business partner, Anthony DeSimone, eventually called from Florida and told him, “You can make more money down here. Just give it a shot.” Leone drove south, walked into Green Lemon one evening looking for work and left with a job before the night was over. The owner became a mentor, and a bartender later told Leone about an opening at one of the first Fresh Kitchen locations…