Pj Monte grew up in proud Italian American family with over 100+ years in the hospitality industry. From the famous Monte’s Venetian Room in Brooklyn to Gurney’s Inn in Montauk and Monte’s Local Kitchen & Tap Room in the Hudson Valley, The Monte family is a staple in Italian dining culture in New York. Eating, drinking, and entertaining are webbed into his DNA. Growing up in Montauk he spent his teenage years working at Gurney’s learning the family business. The training ground of traditions that would later go on to inspire his time in NYC. 

Attending college in Manhattan was the beginning of his decades in NYC’s premier hospitality industry. From nightclubs to DJ booths, to art shows, photography, and multiple creative endeavors PJ Monte has been a staple in NYC culture. Taking what he learned from his family of entertainers and bringing it to life in the streets of NYC. Eating, drinking, and entertaining became his passion and inspiration. 

His love for this industry opened many doors that lead to creating brand identities, creative & operational consulting, and curating cultural & musical programing for brands like Uncle Paulies, Amazon, Jet Blue, The Westway, The Jane, The Smile, Tao Group, Versace, Milk Studios, Revolve, LPA, Butter Group, Dream Hotels, Converse, Vans, Urban Outfitters, Nike, and VFiles. Regardless of what projects he was working on one thing stayed consistent his love for his family and their traditions. Specifically their family recipes. 

After a dinner upstate at Montes Kitchen & Tap Room, PJ was reunited with his family’s world famous sauce. All the years of traveling, exploring food, knowing chefs, and being a chef himself PJ reconnected with his roots and began bottling his family’s famous red sauce. Monte’s Fine Foods was launched with the intention of continuing his legacy of hospitality. Monte’s sauce is available in over 300 retail locations around the U.S.

Taking his love for entertaining, eating, and drinking to the marketplace in the best way he knew how. By serving the best of everything to the best people in the best possible manner.