Last Call

Frank Abbatecola

Owner of I Love Frankie’s

In our last issue, I wrote a column about the mysterious new pizza shop, I Love Frankie’s, which popped up on Providence Street overnight and drew huge crowds in its first few weeks. I wanted to know more about the enigmatic owner and his giant slices. It turned out he was as baffled as everyone else by his swift and unexpected rise.

What’s your story, Frankie?

It’s my daughter. It’s all about my daughter. I have a 6-year-old who I’ve been trying to move closer to for years. I got into a bad car accident, to no fault of my own, that delayed my move and kept me in Denver. I have been flying to Massachusetts every six weeks for six years. Halloween 2019, I had flown in to take her trick-or-treating. I came across Family Pizza Express right down the road from the new stadium. I asked for an application and told the owner I planned to relocate to the area to be closer to my daughter and my dad who lives on Long Island — he’s still kicking it down there. When I eventually moved in August of 2020, smack dab in the middle of my trip, my appendix erupted. I had my appendix removed in Indianapolis and kept driving. My daughter and her mother, my ex, did not know I was moving; they thought I was just coming for my scheduled visit. I pulled into town with a Dalmatian puppy and told them I was planning to stay. More than one real estate agent sent me the listing for Family Pizza Express, the same spot I had visited the year before with the intention of getting a job and working my way up. That’s how I Love Frankie’s was born. It has been awesome to live in Worcester and see my daughter more. We have a strong daddy-daughter connection.

Frankie Abbatecola and his daughter Lily pose with a selection of pizzas inside I Love Frankie’s, Worcester’s Best Pizza at 90 Providence St.

DYLAN AZARI

names for her, and that’s the latest: “Logo.” Her middle name is “Bean” because growing up, nothing paired better than franks and beans.

What makes your pizza special?

I don’t know. As we’re talking right now, I’m plucking basil and tossing dough by hand. I do everything I can from scratch.

Can we get pizza by the slice or do we have to buy a whole pie?

Hopefully, by the end of February, I’ll have the right trays to sell 12” slices. For now, we just sell whole pies.

Where did you learn to make pizza?

I grew up in a restaurant family, so I’ve always known my way around kitchens. I was playing in a band when I met my ex at a show in Florida. I went on to work in Antarctica for 10 years. We reconnected while I was down there and started a long-distance relationship in 2010. I took a couple of years off to focus on music and I started working at a pizza shop across from our house to pay the bills. I was very close to living out that dream. I opened for Third Eye Blind and INXS. Monroe Monroe.

What kind of music?

We’d get the “early U2-meets-Interpol” reference a lot.

And, what were you doing in Antarctica for work?

I built runways for the Air Force.

You have lived quite the life.

I’ve been around. While I was down there, a legendary sound engineer named Stuart Epps heard my music. He’s worked with everyone — Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Elton John, George Harrison, the first two Oasis albums. I got an email from him and I told the guys, “See you later, I’m going to London. This could be it.” It wasn’t it. Anyways, when we got pregnant, I walked away from music. I always told myself that if I had a kid, it would be game over for me so I could focus on my child. I was out in Colorado working as a pizza delivery driver, saving up. The owners had a lot of issues and I was able to buy them out. I made changes to add consistency to the business and it took off with a lot of elbow grease.

You sound like a guy who isn’t afraid of hard work.

I am not.

What are your goals for the future of I Love Frankie’s?

I’d love to establish a following and give everyone in Worcester something new. My original goal was to have a line out the door within the first few months; we had a line within the first few days.

How did you build a following so quickly?

I have no idea. I live my life by the Law of Attraction. Everyone around here serves Greek pizza, for the most part, and our style stands out. I’m offering something different and there’s a demand for it. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d be moving across the country in the middle of a pandemic to open up a pizza shop, and I would get a response like this. I just want people to know how grateful I am from the bottom of my heart. My daughter is my life. I walked away from the successful business I had built up in Denver to be closer to her. To think that I would have this response from the community in Worcester is unbelievable. I’m overwhelmed and humbled by it all.