I recently had the honor and privilege of sitting down with Jeff Giganti, founder of Next Level Brands, right in the heart of his stunning flagship restaurant, Forbici Modern Italian. The atmosphere itself tells a story—it’s not just another restaurant; it’s a living memoir inspired by family, friendship, and the relentless pursuit of passion.
(Full disclosure: We kicked off the interview with a shout-out to Solento Tequila, an amazing brand created by Jeff’s lifelong friends, Todd and Meg Di Ciurcio. Their story of community and passion perfectly mirrors the vibe Jeff has built here.)
You can watch our full episode here: https://youtu.be/7fog7zvwDEs
The Beautiful Disaster: My First Pizzeria
Jeff’s culinary journey started, as so many do, with a little youthful audacity. While finishing his senior year at Florida State University, he and his best friend, Mike, noticed some people building out a pizza place nearby. Jeff, whose friend’s father had been in the pizza business, looked at the builders and thought, “These guys aren’t smarter than us!”
They borrowed $30,000 from a friend and opened Gigamo Brothers Pizza and Pasta. Jeff calls it a “beautiful disaster.”
“It ended up not working out long-term, but it was what, you know, the restaurant bug had bit me at that point,” he said. “ I fell in love with creating a concept and putting it out there and then having it be well received and loved.”
Though the initial venture failed (more on that dramatic story later!), it set Jeff on a path he never left. Today, he estimates he’s served over 30 million customers across his career—an incredible track record born from that first failure.
The College Education Found in a Basement
After Gigamo Brothers closed, Jeff moved to New York City to pursue acting, doing what most actors do: waiting tables. But he never forgot the lessons of failure. He found work at a hot restaurant group and asked the owner if he could work for free in the basement, where the accounting happened.
There, an accountant named Scotty taught him everything: prime cost, chart of accounts, and the financial parameters necessary for success.
“I was like, my God, I can do this. This, I understand it,” he said.
Armed with knowledge and an idea to bring that New York concept to Tampa (a city Jeff saw as wide open with potential), he formed a partnership. They opened their first restaurant in 1996 and went on to build 25 restaurants over the next 20 years.
Forbici: Setting the Right to the Wrong
In 2018, Jeff exited that partnership and started Next Level Brands. The very first project? Forbici Modern Italian. This restaurant was, in his own words, his way of “setting the right to the wrong of Gugamo Brothers.” It was his ultimate test to see if he could execute a concept from start to finish—design, food, and culture—entirely under his own direction.
It was a huge success, leading him to fully sell out of his old group and focus entirely on Next Level Brands.
You can feel the difference here. The beautiful “Ancestor Wall”—featuring photos of his grandparents, parents, and family—tells you this isn’t corporate; it’s heart and soul. Food, for his Italian family from Abruzzo, was always the language of love.
“Our unofficial motto here at Forbici is ‘Every friend was once a stranger.’ I love that in hospitality because you dream and you conceive to put a place out where people feel at home,” says Jeff.
The Future is Growth (Powered by People)
Forbici is now the primary growth vehicle for Next Level Brands. They are expanding across the Tampa Bay area—with Forbici St. Pete coming soon, and plans for Sarasota, Wiregrass, and possibly the beaches. Eventually, they plan to roll out 20 to 40 locations nationwide with joint venture partners.
But Jeff insists that the only thing holding them back from faster growth is amazing people.
“We have 515 employees, we’ll do over $45 million this year… The only thing that keeps us from growing at a faster pace is amazing people. So we need to grow that.”
Their culture is all about tremendous upward mobility, encouraging servers, busboys, and bar backs to rise up and become leaders. The answer to the question in their culture is always yes.
The Ultimate Secret to Success
I asked Jeff what he attributes his success to. His answer was immediate:
Overcoming failure.
He explained that failure is a much bigger part of success than getting things right the first time. It teaches you what not to do, allowing you to fall forward with more knowledge. It’s about stick-to-itiveness and surrounding yourself with great people who come from a place of “yes.”
And what is the expert eating? Nine times out of ten, Jeff is having the cup and char pepperoni on the round, thin and crispy dough, with a little hot honey on the side. A fantastic combo!
Follow Forbici Modern Italian on Instagram @eatforbic
Stay updated with the latest from Forbici Modern Italian and other amazing pizza stories from across the globe by subscribing to The Pizza Story Podcast now!
Get our books: A Story About Pizza, Pietro’s Pizza, Pietro’s Pizza Toppings.