For the past 8 years I’ve worked towards opening my own place. I made a name for myself by opening Lombardi’s in the early 90s. I’ve worked in a lot of places all over the globe. Spent a lot of time in Asia. Was the Exec Chef at Rubirosa for a bit. Made about 20,000 pies for Joe’s Pizza in Shanghai, NY and most recently Ann Arbor, MI.
I started out 2020 believing I was going to open an Italian restaurant in Ann Arbor. Even found the location. Because of a crazy, life-altering event at the Sundance Film Festival in January, I decided to give NYC one more try. Was negotiating buying out a place in Bushwick, Brooklyn in March. That got put on hold as the pandemic hit NYC. Not wanting to sit around, I signed on to open a spot for some NY guys in Tokyo, but they couldn’t get me a visa.
So I pounded the streets of NY, looking for a deal. And I found one.
I’m opening Bellucci Pizza in Astoria, Queens, NYC. Should be open before Thanksgiving. Slices from a 20” NY-style pie, 18” round for delivery, a 12” “Metropolitan-style” pie, that’s room-temp fermented overnight, and my square, taking equal influences from New York, Detroit and France.
For me, and my fellow New Yorkers, the slice is the fundamental means of transaction and measure for pizza. Pizza should be approachable and accessible. If someone is short on time and money, just throw three crumpled dollars at me and you’ll get fed. That’s my philosophy anyway.
To paraphrase Anthony Mangieri: “New York City, for restaurants, is really the place to build a name and to prove that you have validity, which is a shame that it’s like that, but that is the truth.”
NYC has always been the center of my universe. I’ve tried to run away, but always felt that I was settling.
I’m settling no more. I’m all-in on this place and NYC in general. I’ve invested every dollar I have – and even every dollar I don’t have. I’ve always been an all-or-nothing type of guy.
At the end of the day, it’s pizza in New York. People gotta eat. And I like to think in a town like this, if I offer people the best of me, I should do just fine. Let the chips fall where they may…
Using a Pizzamaster 933
And a Steno Diving Arms Kneader
I'm blind testing 20+ different tomatoes and and working directly with the owners of Lioni Latticini for all (most) of my cheese. I've worked with so many high quality flours that my head is spinning - in a good way. That's the great thing about New York City: I have access to the best of the best and prices are cheaper than say...Ann Arbor.
I don't shill for anyone. I'll commit hari kari before I sew ANYONE's brand patch on my kitchen shirt. [Where's the "vomit" emoji?] That said, I will always sing the praises of my suppliers. Why wouldn't I? I only work with the best and they help me achieve my goals.
I've always been "open source". I'm happy to give people the names of my suppliers, my recipes and my work flow. I do this for two reasons:
#1 There are no "secrets" to being successful in the pizza business. All it takes is total dedication and focus: two qualities that most people are not willing to put in day after day after day...
#2. I can give you my ingredients, my recipes and my work flow. And you cannot match what I do because our experiences are very different. That's why I share everything. I have no competition other than myself.
Waiting on ConEd to inspect the electrical upgrade and install our meter. Then it's off to the races...
