Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1067657
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 40 JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2019 PHOTOGRAPHS BY SARAH JORDAN MCCAFFERY AMAZING ENTREPRENEUR With an established restaurant empire and now a mixed-use development under way, Joe Faro sits down with us for a quick Q&A. By Alexandra Pecci / F A C E S + P L A C E S / Joe Faro's business cards call him Tuscan Brands' "chief food taster," but that modest moniker doesn't begin to scratch the surface of a career in which he's built, not one, but two, wildly successful Italian food empires. Chapter one of that entrepreneurial life was Joseph's Gourmet Pasta and Sauces in Haverhill, which grew into the largest producer of specialty pasta and sauces in the country and which Faro sold to Nestlé in 2006. Chapter two has been Tuscan Brands, which includes restaurants and Italian markets located throughout the region, including its newest in Boston's Seaport District and its flagship Tuscan Kitchen and Tuscan Market in Salem, New Hampshire, which Faro calls "the epicenter of our scratch Italian brands." Now Faro is embarking on what he calls "Chapter 2.5:" Tuscan Village, an ambitious 2.8-million-square-foot mixed-use urban development on the site of the former Rockingham Park horse track in Salem, New Hampshire. When the multi-phase project is complete in 2022, it will be a true "gateway to New Hampshire," consisting of up to 1.2 million square feet of office space, 800 residential units, 11 restaurants, two hotels, 75 retail shops, a convention center, grocery stores, community gathering spaces, and much, much more. "is is a game changer," Faro says. "Not just for New Hampshire, but it's a game changer for New England." We caught up with Faro to chat about the project, what growing a business and making a great sauce have in common, and his idea of the ultimate VIP dinner. Northshore magazine: Tell us about the new Tuscan Village development. Joe Faro: ree years ago we acquired Rockingham Park, a 170-acre horse track. It's a very iconic property because it is literally one of the first things you see when you come into the state of New Hampshire. Our vision has really been to be patient. e idea is to do something that's meaningful and that people will be able to enjoy for generations. NSM: Do you hope this will be a kind of Salem downtown? JF: at's exactly what it is. It's city streets Joe Faro is the owner of Tuscan Kitchen and Tuscan Village development