Filippo grew up in the town of Frattamaggiore, Italy, in Naples. He trained as a chef at the Silver Spoon Institute of cooking in India, specializing in vegetarian dishes, fish and pastry, but his expertise mainly came from his mother's teachings. He attended several different cooking schools through his travels, receiving multiple internships at restaurants in London and Paris. He worked at London's Spaghetti House, Picadilly Pasta Bar and Bar Kensington Pasta Chef. Filippo always aspired to come to America. That dream was realized 26 years ago. Upon arriving Filippo worked at Philip Carlucci's and Angelina restaurants of Chicago as the opening chef.
In 1990, Filippo began his quest by opening a wholesale bakery and "Pasta Cherie Masinello" named after an Italian war hero. The bakery distributed to a variety of restaurants including the Langolo of Rome of Chicago where he met his wife and business partner, Annette Simon. This became a winning combination of Annette's business savvy and Filippo's savory cuisine. Annette is a Chicago native and was the general manager of Langolo and in 1991 became partners with Filippo in the bakery. They worked day and night, Annette was then the general manager of Philip and St. Germain and Filippo was the chef at Paradise at night and early mornings they worked for the Bakery Desserts and Confections.
In 1993, their dream was finally realized when the doors of Filippo's Ristorante opened its doors at their location on Clybourne Avenue. This Near North Side restaurant has offered homemade pastas, fresh salads, risotto, and a variety of delicious dishes made from recipes that originated in the kitchen of chef Philip's mother for more than ten years. Offerings like the Valle d'Aosta, a chicken breast wrapped in prosiutto and finished with smoked mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and spinach stuffed ravioli finished in a delicate cream sauce will be offered.

Filippo's has won many awards for their cuisine including Zagat's Best Neighborhood Restaurant Award, and maintained a four-star rating from Chicago on Metromix diners.