Five Questions with Nick Fallucca of Palermo’s Pizza

Nick Fallucca is the chief product & innovation officer at Palermo’s Pizza, a third-generation leader in the family-owned company founded by his grandparents, Gaspare and Zina Fallucca. He oversees product development and innovation for both Palermo’s portfolio of consumer brands and its private label business, guiding new concepts from ideation through commercialization. Passionate about creating exceptional pizza experiences, he combines his family's rich Italian culinary heritage with a forward-thinking approach to food innovation, helping Palermo’s remain at the forefront of the frozen pizza industry.

Under his leadership, Palermo’s has continued to invest in breakthrough products, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and emerging pizza trends, including the commercialization of traditional Roman-style pizza crusts. Beyond the business, he is deeply committed to serving the Milwaukee community through philanthropy and food security initiatives, supporting organizations such as Hunger Task Force and Kinship Community Food Center.

Q: I'm wondering what it was like growing up in the family, watching your dad and grandparents develop this business. What was that like for you?

Fallucca: “It was incredible. I mean, the experience of having a family that is so dedicated to serving the customer, making a great product and being entrepreneurial has really shaped me as a person. It’s been an incredible experience. Back in the day, doing either a private label or a small band and seeing our brand explode to what it is today, having three facilities and over a thousand employees has been incredible to see.”

Q: When you were observing as you were growing up and watching your dad and grandpa, what are some of the things, maybe one or two of the standout lessons or ways that they inspired you?

Fallucca: “It's interesting because you know I would say there were three things I learned from my grandfather. One is to serve a great food product because with great food, people keep coming back. Second is treating your customer right because they’re the ones who are paying you to eat the food. And last is treating your employees right. Without that, there’s nothing. I can’t do everything that our employees do.

“And then with my family, I learned some critical lessons. With my dad, it is that entrepreneurial spirit and driving towards always being great. With my mom, I learned a lot about creativity and great design. And from my uncle, I learned a bunch about operations and also how to take a step back and analyze the situation”

Q: There's a lot of responsibility, I would imagine, of carrying on this family legacy in the business, but also your job is about innovation. What kind of responsibility do you feel about being an innovator, but also recognizing the legacy?

Fallucca: “I think there's a difference, and I look at my role in two ways. One is a family member and part of the executive team. It's just understanding the entire business. Everything from sales to marketing to operations, and understanding what fits. But then on the innovation side, it's always pushing the envelope and always looking 18 to 24 months out because we never know what our customer wants.

But also our consumer is different than the customer. And so it's really interesting because we have different buyers at different grocery stores or food service accounts, and they all say, I want this, but then the question is, is that really what your consumer wants? And so it's understanding both the customer and the consumer.”

Q: You are the chief product and innovation officer. How do you come up with different ideas and how have those unique products driven your business forward?

Fallucca: “I think if we look at the food industry, I think a lot of the products, I mean at least high-end, come from across the water. So whether it's in Italy, in Europe or in Japan or other areas where the food culture is so strong, it's seeing what they're doing. And usually that process takes a couple years before that becomes something of popularity here in the United States. Maybe it goes to a high-end restaurant or more local restaurants, and then it goes into restaurant chains and then eventually to frozen.

“We like capturing those trends at the international stage first. But also the United States has such a strong food culture. In every city, every region has its own distinctive food culture. And it’s understanding what they’re doing and what the trends are that are starting to grow, whether it’s just pizza crust or just food trends in general.”

Q: Related to the food trends, is there anything right now in your pizza world that's really exciting you?

Fallucca: “I think people want real food and they want to know there’s some origin behind it. And I think that’s what we’re really excited about with our Roman-style pizza is the ability to have this really authentic product that has taken over Italy. And it’s fun because in Italy, they’re so fiercely competitive about their style of pizza. The people in Naples believe the only good pizza is Neapolitan. The people in Rome believe the only good pizza is Roman style. And what’s interesting is you’re starting to see this Roman-style pizza all across Italy and all across Europe. It’s really taking over. And so we saw that trend and decided it was something that we have to explore, develop and commercialize.”