Master Italian Pizza Maker To Open Park Slope Eatery

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — A new restaurant getting ready to open up on 5th Avenue hopes to make customers feel more like they're sitting at a pizzeria in Italy than one in New York City, owners said.

L'Arte della Pizza Brooklyn, a collaboration between two Italian pizza chefs, is putting the final touches to its 172 5th Avenue storefront next week. The restaurant plans to have a soft opening next Wednesday followed by a grand opening event scheduled tentatively for April 20, business partner Anna Villani said.

Villani, who is also the wife of one of the two chefs running the kitchen, said the restaurant will offer a lighter, more Italian-style version of what New Yorkers might be used to in the pizza world.

"There are tons of awesome pizzerias (in New York) — we wanted to bring something a little different," she said. "It will very much be as if you were sitting in Italy having a pizza."

That authentic Italian taste will in part be due to her husband's background learning and making pizzas in Italy, she said. Riccardo Villani trained under World Pizza Champions and Master Instructors, Graziano Bertuzzo and Gianni Pompetti.

He then met fellow Italian pizza chef Leobard Perez while the two were working at pizzerias in Brooklyn. The two chefs developed a dream of opening their own spot someday down the line.

Anna Villani said all three looked into several spots around New York, but ultimately realized the 5th Avenue area was the best fit.

"Brooklyn is the place to be," she said. "We looked everywhere, but I was always drawn to 5th Avenue and just knowing the pulse and the beat (of that area) — it's just a great community."

Everything from specific techniques to making the dough, to the simple use of ingredients from Italy will be replicated in the new restaurant, she added.

Riccardo Villani plans to import all his favorite fresh ingredients from Italy to the new restaurant, including the popular "Mutti" tomato brand, Perez said.

The eatery's options extends beyond pizza, though. On their website, prospective diners can take a look at the other Italian favorites, like antipasti, pastas and meats, that have made it onto the menu. The restaurant has also advertised some specialty pizzas, including a spring-themed pie with arugula, shaved parmesan, prosciutto and fresh melon.

The grand opening will include a ribbon cutting ceremony along with members of the community, Villani said.