Jack Laurenzo

Second oldest son of Ninfa Laurenzo, Jack left school in 1973 at his mother’s request to help open the taco stand at the family’s struggling tortilla factory on Navigation Boulevard — what would become the original Ninfa’s. Alongside his mother, his older brother Roland (’65), and his sister Phyllis, Jack helped transform a modest lunch counter into a Houston institution and a pioneer of grilled Tacos al Carbon served in handmade flour tortillas. For more than two decades Jack served as a central operator of the Ninfa’s empire as it expanded to dozens of locations across Texas. In 1996, as the family stepped away from the Ninfa’s name, Jack opened a restaurant of his own — Jack Laurenzo’s on Richmond Avenue — an Italian-American concept honoring the Laurenzo side of his heritage and the New England roots of his father Domenic. An accomplished chef who believed in generous portions and unpretentious hospitality, Jack remained a consultant to the family business and a devoted father until his death from brain cancer in 2021. He is survived by his wife Tracy and their three children, Julian, Lauren, and Chanel.