Written by Michael P. Walsh
WEST HAVEN, CT — Mayor Dorinda Borer cut a "Westie blue" ribbon with Bruno's Wood Fired Apizza owner Christopher "Bruno" Bernardo to celebrate the pizzeria's grand opening at 17 Wagner Place on Thursday.
"We are thrilled to welcome Bruno Bernardo and his authentic wood-fired pies to West Haven," Borer said. "Our city loves great food, and Bruno and the entire Bernardo family are a wonderful addition to our business community."
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was organized by the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce and included welcoming remarks by chamber Director of Membership and Marketing Simon McDonald and Bernardo, who was joined by his wife, Selene, and three of their five daughters.
"Thank you very much for opening right here in West Haven," McDonald said.
"I love West Haven," responded Bernardo, whose wife and daughters Christine, Brianna and Rosina wait on tables and take to-go orders at the family-operated pizzeria. "Thank you for all the support!"
Bruno's, which occupies the vibrant commercial space formerly home to Gusto Bakery, sits near the busy intersection of Main Street and Kelsey Avenue and around the corner from Elm Street and Sawmill Road, making it an ideal destination for both residents and regional pizza lovers.
The centerpiece of the newly renovated space is an Italian-style, 7-by-7-foot Forno Bravo wood-fired oven that delivers the perfect char, Bernardo said.
Offering dine-in, takeout and catering options, Bruno's robust menu features signature New Haven-style pizza favorites, specialty flights of small pies, calzones, stuffed breads and wings, as well as unique creations like its "Bernardo-style" mashed potato, caramelized onion and bacon pizza.
Bernardo carries on the proud Italian pizza-making tradition of his parents, Luigi "Gigi" and Catherine Bernardo, the original owners of Gigi's Pizza in New Haven's Fair Haven neighborhood.
With deep ancestral roots in Connecticut's thriving pizza industry, Bernardo has spent a lifetime perfecting thin, crisp, charred New Haven-style "apizza," pronounced "abeetz."
He and his three brothers continue to influence the state's pizza landscape across their businesses, with Arsenio Bernardo, Frank Bernardo and Luigi Bernardo Jr. operating New Haven Pizza Place in Milford, New Haven Pizza Truck and Little Italy Pizza Truck, respectively.
Bruno's hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. It is closed Mondays.
West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer, second from right, claps and cheers as Bruno's Wood Fired Apizza owner Christopher "Bruno" Bernardo and wife Selene Bernardo cut the ribbon to celebrate the pizzeria's grand opening at 17 Wagner Place on Thursday. With them are, from left, West Haven business community friend Anthony Reilly, Bruno's cooks Freddy Saucedo and Alex Gahona, and Simon McDonald, the director of membership and marketing at the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce. (City Photo/Michael P. Walsh)
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