Gannascoli was born and raised in Brooklyn. In the 1980s he attended St. John's University for two years, majoring in communications.
He began his cooking career at Manhattan Market in 1981 in New York City before leaving to work at Commander's Palace in New Orleans, and then at various restaurants around the country.
In January 2006 Gannascoli published a crime novel called A Meal to Die For: A Culinary Novel of Crime.
Gannascoli later appeared in other films including Men in Black III. He stars in the 2015 movie An Act of War.
