Paul and Suzie Frank on Believing in Vision and Watching It Become Reality
Some of the most meaningful investments begin with a belief in what could be.
For longtime Emeril Lagasse Foundation supporters Paul and Suzie Frank, that belief began more than two decades ago with a friendship, a shared appreciation for food and agriculture, and a vision for creating opportunities for young people.
Vintners and longtime members of the Napa Valley wine community, Paul and Suzie were previously the founders of Gemstone Winery and today are the proprietors of Glass Slipper Vineyards. It was through Gemstone that Paul first connected with Chef Emeril and Alden Lagasse. Over time, the relationship grew beyond a shared appreciation for food and wine.
“We got to know Emeril, the real Emeril, the man behind the TV [persona], the real character behind Mr. Bam, his values and what was important to him,” Paul recalled.
When Emeril invited Paul to become involved with Emeril Lagasse Foundation, the organization was still young and its ambitions were significant. Paul remembers being inspired by what Emeril hoped to accomplish, while also wondering how much of his vision would be possible.
Over the years that followed, Paul and Suzie watched that early vision become reality. As they witnessed the Foundation’s work firsthand, their own commitment deepened. For Paul, one of the earliest moments that brought the mission to life came during a Foundation board dinner at Café Reconcile in New Orleans. There, young people overcoming significant barriers were gaining hands-on experience and preparing for careers in hospitality.
Paul remembers meeting one young man dressed proudly in a crisp white shirt and learning that it was the first real shirt he had ever owned. It was a simple detail, but one that stayed with him. Paul began to understand the Foundation wasn’t simply funding programs: it was helping young people envision futures they may not have previously thought possible.
“They’re not building just a second floor,” Paul remembered thinking. “They’re really building a skyscraper here.”
For Suzie, visits with Foundation beneficiaries have been equally meaningful. “Walking into St. Michael’s, walking down the hallway and seeing all those smiling faces… the children are so happy and learning so much,” she shared.
Those experiences have kept young people at the center of Paul and Suzie’s relationship with the Foundation. Over more than two decades, they have watched opportunities expand and young people who once had limited pathways to the future find places to thrive.
“It is not just a dream, it is a reality,” Paul said. “These were youth who had so few pathways to the future and now they are thriving.”
They have also seen the impact extend beyond individual students. Through programs such as Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, young people learn through gardening, cooking and nutrition education — lessons they often bring home to their families.
“Not just the youth, we are changing the lives of families,” Suzie said. “They plant, they harvest, and they cook.”
The connection between food, agriculture and community is particularly meaningful to Paul. His own agricultural roots, which he jokes began with growing petunias, eventually led to a life in wine and farming. Today, Paul and Suzie continue those values at home in Napa Valley, gardening and donating produce to help feed members of their community. In partnership with the local Napa Valley Food Bank, they are among the largest donors of fresh produce.
“We are kind of carrying out the mission of the Foundation at home as well,” Paul said.
After over 20 years with the Foundation, Paul and Suzie are also thinking about what comes next. Their hope is the young people whose lives have been touched by the Foundation will one day help carry its mission forward, bringing their own experiences and leadership to the next generation.
“That way Emeril’s vision goes on in perpetuity and creates the legacy he always envisioned,” Paul said.
For a couple who has watched an ambitious idea become something tangible, the possibilities ahead feel just as compelling as everything already achieved.
“It’s pretty hard not to be excited about what has been accomplished over the last 23 years,” Paul said. “Even more exciting are the possibilities for the next 23.”
Paul and Suzie believed in the vision when it was still a dream, helped nurture it as it grew, and today remain invested not only in what the Foundation has become — but in all that it can still be.
