Best Pizza of The Caldwells Contest Winner: Vitella's

Franco Vitella's interest in pizza—and food in general—began when he was just 8 years old as he answered phones and folded pizza boxes at his uncle's pizzeria in Kearny.

The Belleville native later helped out at another uncle's pizza place in Italy.

Food was always a family business.

About five years ago, Vitella opened his own place in Nutley before relocating less than a year ago to a larger space on Clinton Road  in West Caldwell.

While Vitella, 37, handles the restaurant part of the business, his wife, Ally, 40, is in charge of the catering aspect of Vitella's Cucina (40 Clinton Road, West Caldwell).

While the North Caldwell couple's food has won various awards during catering affairs for celebrities like Robert De Nero, Johnny Depp, Vince Vaughn and others in New York, its plain cheese pizza received a local distinction this week as the winner of the Best Pizza of The Caldwells contest, presented by The Caldwells Patch.

"No way, awesome," Ally Vitella said. "We are honored and thrilled."

With a sauce rich in flavor that tasted as if it was just made and tasty mozzarella cheese above a well-baked crust that can be ordered from Vitella's brick oven or conventional style, this cheese pizza was unique in taste and quality that really stood out when we visited last month.

"It's awesome," Franco Vitella said. "We were in competition with a lot of great pizzerias, just to be in their company is great. To win, is just awesome."

"No, we are really excited," Ally Vitella added. "I've told every person I come in contact ... I'm eatin' it up!"

While the restaurant has about 15 employees, Franco Vitella and Carlos Vargas—a former employee of Italianissimo, the previous restaurant at the location—are the only ones who handle the pies.

"That's it," Franco Vitella said. "It's just us."

Here's a look at Vitella's Cucina and how it all began:

What's the secret behind your pizza?

Franco Vitella: I worked at a pizzeria in Kearny when I was a kid. That's really when it started. I was just answering phones and making pizza boxes. The pizzeria was always in the family. They taught me how to make the dough. Eventually, I started making my own dough. I liked their pizza—it was good. From the dough, I made the sauce. They taught me the ingredients. Though we modified it a little bit with Carlos being here and me being here, so we changed it up a little bit and that's why I think we have a really good pizza.

Is this your first time using a brick oven?

Vitella: Well, not in the family. We had one in Milan. There is still one in Milan, Italy. My uncle runs it. 

Same uncle?

Vitella: No, different uncle.  This is my father's side. You see, I'm always in it. I moved to Italy for one year when I was a kid and I worked there. But I'm always, always around food. I think that was always my goal—to be my own boss and open my own place.

Back to the brick oven…

Vitella: This is my first place with a true brick oven pizza made with wood. There's no gas in the back. It's fed by the wood and it's right there.

What about giving customers the option of having their pizza cooked in either oven?

Vitella: That's what is unique. We have the Jersey Pie. We call it a Jersey Pie, because everybody has those ovens, so we called it a Jersey Pie. It's made with the Jersey water. People down in Florida or down south, pizza isn't the same. We know Jersey water makes the pie. It's just one of those things. A lot of people I know that have pizzerias down in Florida, they actually bring water from Jersey to make the pie, because it's just a different type of water. We don't know why or what the cause of it is, but it is what it is. So we call that the Jersey Pie and we call this [pointing to the brick oven], the Brick Oven Pie. It's the Italian pie.

Do you prefer one more than the other?

Vitella: It depends on the day. Sometimes I'll take a nice crisp Jersey Pie and sometimes—they're both very unique pies. It depends on what taste you want to go for.

What do people prefer when they come in?

Vitella: It depends. Some people don't care about the price difference, because [the brick oven] is $3 more. The sauce is the same for both pies. The reason why [the brick oven] is more money is because it's made with the wood and not many people know how to make a wood-burning pie. I would say more people prefer the brick oven because it's unique in this town. They like the personal pies. That's getting big around here now. The volume is increasing. So I'd say, they prefer the brick oven.

What is your specialty—pizza or food?

Vitella: You know what, that's a tough one. The restaurant is doing fabulously well. But we notice on Friday and Saturday nights, they order the brick ovens, too. So it's two-fold. They both are doing very well between the food coming out of the kitchen and Carlos and I making the pizza out of here, it's doing very well together.

How do you like being in West Caldwell?

Vitella: It's awesome. I love it here. If it was a little better times, it would be even better. I mean we've only been open seven months, really, we're doing very well. We're booked every Sunday for private parties.

Do you just do private parties on Sunday?

Vitella: Right now that's what it is. But as of June 5, we're going to be open on Sundays—5 o'clock on only. We have private parties from early morning until late afternoon to 4 or 5 and then the kitchen will open up for the dining room. We book parties on Saturdays, too. I can't be happier being here—honest to God.

Did you follow the pizza contest? 

Franco Vitella: Yes, the reviews were in such detail! I know we have a good pizza, but ... Carlos makes a good sauce, we really try and make it good.

Ally Vitella: I was kind of nervous about the contest. I was reading, and I loved how descriptive you guys were with the sauce.

How do you view the pizza landscape of The Caldwells?

Franco Vitella: It's great. There are a lot of places that have extremely good pizzas, and everyone has a specialty.

What are you going to do to celebrate this achievement?

Franco Vitella: I'm gonna blab it around everywhere. We are going to put it on our Web site ... I am going to brag as long as I could!

Ally Vitella: I'm going to order custom pizza boxes and banners!

While Vitella's cheese pizza rose to the top, it's hard to go wrong with the amount of various pizzeria selections—all boasting their own unique strength—The Caldwells has to offer.

Here's a look at all of them:

Forte, Calandra's, Nicco's, Cedar Grill and Pizza, Pizza and Sandwich Barn, Tony D's, Domino's and Papa John's, Michael's, Russillo, Vitella's Cucina, Frank's Trattoria and Franco's.