Bavaro's Celebrates Decade Of Neapolitan Pizza In Tampa Bay

TAMPA, FL -- The Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria flagship location in downtown Tampa is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with a variety of special promotions in the works, according to founder and chef Dan Bavaro.

“We are blessed the Tampa community embraced our concept from day one,” said Bavaro. “As a result, we’ve expanded into additional locations over the last 10 years.”

While the actual anniversary date is in March, Bavaro said the eatery will host a series of events throughout the year, including a Franklin Street block party this spring. Specific details are still in the works.

Determined to share his family recipes with the world,in 2009 Bavaro, his wife, Anna-Maria, and their five children packed their belongings in a U-Haul and drove from New Jersey to Tampa, leaving behind family and friends. Bavaro was determined to share his family's recipes and the "Napoletana" style of baking pizza. So he opened Florida's first traditional Neapolitan Pizzeria in downtown Tampa in March of that year.

Bavaro stays true to tradition by using hand-crafted, wood-fired brick ovens designed by third-generation Neapolitan craftsmen, a 100-year-old yeast culture, 100-year-old Neapolitan recipes, and top-of-the-line ingredients sourced directly from Italy.

“Our flour is ‘double zero,’” Bavaro said. “This means the flour is milled fine like talcum powder and is all natural.”

In 2010, after a canceled catering event left them with 20 gallons of homemade pasta sauce, Anna-Maria suggested that the team batch the sauces rather than throwing it all away. Thus, Bavaro’s introduced its line of handmade gourmet sauces to the world; allowing guests to take the Bavaro’s family recipe home with them.

In 2012, Bavaro's gourmet sauces were chosen for the Emmy Awards Celebrity Gift Lounge.

"I never thought I would become addicted to one kind of tomato sauce," said television personality and food author Georgia Pellegrini.

"Honestly, this is the most incredible sauce I’ve ever had in my life," said celebrity chef and food author Lulu Powers.

Bavaro has become a local celebrity in his own right, having done demonstrations on ABC Action News, Fox News 13, Bay News 9 and other local television shows nearly 30 times.

Beginning 10 years ago with his downtown Tampa restaurant, which seats 50 guests, Bavaro’s has opened three more restaurants.

The original restaurant is located at 514 N. Franklin St., Tampa.

Bavaro’s also has locations in downtown St. Petersburg, 945 Central Ave., in the EDGE District, and at Tampa International Airport on Airside C.

Bavaro’s also has a sister restaurant called Sorellina (little sister in Italian) in Tampa’s Hall on Franklin.

And he soon will open a Sarasota restaurant in a quaint Mediterranean-style building at 27 Fletcher Ave.

For more information, click here. To view the menu, click here.

Images via Bavaro's

(For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)