Food fight over Rao’s

A family feud could make mincemeat out of the Rao’s food empire.

A nephew of Vincent Rao, founder of the legendary Italian restaurant in Harlem and its lower Manhattan specialty-foods business, is fighting another nephew over control of the company, according to a new lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Ronald Straci and his wife, Sharon, say in their suit that they helped start the offshoot business in 1991 after they were approached with the idea by Ronald’s uncle and aunt, Vincent and Ann Pellegrino Rao, and cousin Frank Pellegrino Sr.

The Stracis and several of Ronald’s law partners each coughed up about $15,000 to start Rao’s Specialty Foods near Battery Park.

The group agreed that 50 percent of company shares would go to the Raos and Frank Pellegrino, while the rest would be spread out among the Stracis and the other investors, according to court papers.

The Stracis say they sacrificed for the company when no one else did, including taking out a $250,000 loan.

The company saw massive growth under the Stracis, the suit claims, increasing from a $280,000-a-year venture to one that boasts “tens of millions of dollars” annually.

As a result, there has been huge interest from potential buyers, but the majority shareholders have rebuffed all efforts, the papers state, and the Stacis say they’re being pushed out.

A lawyer for Pellegrino and the other shareholders did not return requests for comment.