In 1954, Gaspare (Jack) Fallucca and his wife, Providenza (Zina), immigrated to the United States, bringing with them cherished family recipes and the Italian tradition of family and food. In 1964, Jack and Zina opened an Italian bakery on Milwaukee’s east side, selling Italian breads, cookies and cannoli. They then acquired the hardware store next door and expanded the lot into a pizzeria named Palermo Villa, Inc.
Later, an owner of a local grocery chain urged Jack and Zina to enter the frozen food business. So, they began creating frozen pizza bread and pizzas, sold under the Palermo’s brand name, in an old bakery that was eventually renovated into a manufacturing facility.