Are you ready to uncover the secrets behind that iconic New York pizza you love? In this exciting episode, we dive deep into the heart of the pizza-making process, from sourcing the finest ingredients to sharing stories of struggle and triumph in the restaurant industry with pizza legend Gio Lanzo of Luigi's in Brooklyn!
In this raw and authentic episode we want bring to light the importance of quality ingredients, featuring discussions on the best tomatoes for that perfect pizza sauce. Chef reveals how the consistency and taste of tomatoes can truly elevate a slice, pointing to his go-to choice, Mutti tomatoes. But it's not just about the ingredients—it's also about the heart that every pizza maker puts into their craft. Luigi's is just that!
Listen as Gio shares how he balances staying true to time-honored recipes while embracing modern techniques to meet the ever-changing culinary demands. This blend of innovation and respect for tradition ensures that the soul of New York pizza remains vibrant and beloved. (and yes, its all about the water for the dough!) He has also found fame as an internet sensation and has been featured in movies like Big Daddy with Adam Sandler, axe and AT&T commercials, and even on Netfilx's show Street Eats USA.
The warmth and community spirit of a Brooklyn pizzeria come alive in our conversation. With every customer who walks through the door, there are new stories and connections that make each visit unique. Discover why pizza is not just a meal but a shared experience that brings people together. Join us as we celebrate the culture, the flavors, and the passion that pervades every pizzeria in New York.
At the end of the episode, you'll be left with a richer understanding of what makes New York pizza extraordinary and how family is the KEY ingredient to success!
Tune in, share your thoughts about pizza culture, and don't forget to subscribe, so you never miss a delicious conversation!
Connect with Gio at Luigi's here: https://www.instagram.com/luigispizzaparkslope/
https://flow.page/luigispizzaparkslope
Welcome to the show! Burnt Hands Perspective
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*The views and opinions on this show are meant for entertainment purposes only. They do not reflect the views of our sponsors. We are not here to babysit your feelings, if you are a true industry pro, you will know that what we say is meant to make you laugh and have a great time. If you don't get that, this is not the podcast for you. You've been warned. Enjoy the ride!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Listen up here.
The restaurant industry isgrueling and unpredictable, just
like this shelf.
From the front of the house tothe back of the house and all in
between, we will turn up theheat, you turn up the volumes.
I'm Chef Antonio Caruana.
Welcome to the Tell All Podcastat Burnt Hands Prospective.
We're out here right now on theroad, Brooklyn, New York, and
this is not a pizza review.
(00:20):
However, we are in front ofLuigi's Pizza, One of my best
friend's, cousin, Gio.
So, like I said, there's beenmuch better reviewers than me.
So I'm not here to do a pizzareview.
I'm here to eat good pizza andspeak to the man behind the
legend of it all.
So we're gonna go inside rightnow and speak to Gio.
He's the owner who makes thepizza.
I don't need to review it, justtrust it's good.
We'll see you on the other side.
Alright, All right, listen, G,check this out.
(00:44):
We've all been watching you onsocial media.
What we talk about and what welike to introduce ourselves to
is everybody's struggle,everybody's strife, everybody's
glory and everything that we gothrough to get the fuck what
we've done.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
We do everything.
Break our.
You know what?
Yeah, break our cajones.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
That's right, right.
So every day we wake up in themorning and it's the same
struggle, no matter what levelyou're at.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
No, you mean to tell me we don't go shovel money,
like everybody thinks?
No, yeah right, when do weshovel money?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, right, while we're shoveling the work.
Yeah, we're shoveling the dough.
That's right, we're shovelingthe dough the pizza dough.
But you, how long have you beenworking in this industry, bro?
First of all, here, do the mathright 21.
21.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
So he's been at it a little while Plus 39.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I'm 60.
So let me ask you, man, acouple questions I've had,
because I always love talking topeople who I've been doing this
for 30 years, but I've changedmy level of where I've been as a
chef, right.
So I deal with differentingredients, I change with the
tides, right, while stillkeeping true to the traditions.
I've got to do that.
(01:45):
You have to stay true to thetraditions, right?
So, anyway, I'm going tobacktrack a little bit.
So when you have tomatoes andingredients, right, we come up
with it.
You've been doing this for solong that your product has to
stay consistent, right?
So let's say, the market, let'ssay, if you're using a
Stanislaus product or whatevertomato company you use, right,
they change up or they mix outor they go out of business.
When does the panic set in?
When's the panic.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, all right, I was using an Italian tomato.
I can't get anymore Right.
So I went looking and I foundMutti.
It's the best, end of story.
That's it.
End of story.
It is by far the best becauseit's got the lowest sodium, the
lowest sugar and it's natural.
You notice added additives andI'll be honest with you, I am
really happy with the tomato.
(02:25):
It's three, three years, but ifMutti should ever change, I am
a real finicky person.
People bring me tomatoes.
I open the can, I look at itthey want.
I want tomatoes of the season,I don't want last year's
tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
What are you looking for in a can?
I have certain things I lookfor.
When the can opens itself, areyou using the whole plum that
you break down?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I use a plum I look for when a can opens itself.
Are you using a whole plum thatyou break down?
I use a plum, I break it down,but I look at the can itself to
make sure that the inside isn'tgoing bad, they're not spoiled.
It's a whole process because,I'll be honest with you, there's
a million companies out thereOf course there is, but Mutti's
been around.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
They're from Parma.
Mutti's a company from ParmaItaly, for centuries, and now
they're all over the world.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Now they're all over the world, united Kingdom.
No matter where I talk topeople, they're oh yeah, we have
it in.
Like I had people from theUnited Kingdom, oh, we have
Mutti there.
I was like, well, that's whatyou use.
People are on this big kick ofSan Marzano tomato.
San Marzano is the size of adime.
It's impossible for them tomake enough tomatoes of their
head right.
It's a type of tomato, it's astyle of tomato and it's brought
(03:24):
in from everywhere.
Mutti uses the best of the bestand that's it and I'll be
honest with you, it's been soconsistent I've never had to say
, wow, this tomato is bad.
I do open the cans, I do take atomato and I eat it.
People look at me.
I love eating.
I'm eating something that wasgrown on Italian soil, italian
rain, everything in the weatherdown there.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
When I eat that, I feel like I'm eating something
like I'm eating in Italy, inBrooklyn, new York.
Now we are live right now.
As always, we do things on thelive tip, we don't do anything
staged, so people walk in andout.
We're in a live restaurant.
It's a Friday night rush.
We're in Brooklyn, new York.
Everybody knows what time it is.
Here at this restaurant, at this, at this pizzeria so mooty.
I just did a short on those, Idid a a tomato review and my
number one tomato go-to is amooty.
And talking about the sanmarzano.
(04:11):
Now, san marzano, like he said,is this big, but san marzano is
a region of italy and napleswhere that, that one thing is
grown, so in the middle of allthat you're not gonna have
enough, just like you said.
So, in the style of San Marzano, it's totally different.
Now, moving on G, I know wedon't have much time here
because you're a busy dude, bro,and you've got people from all
over the world.
I watch people coming in hereand you're asking them where
(04:32):
they're from.
You're very engaging with yourpeople.
Oh, I love it.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
That's why I'm here.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
And I'm the same way with my customers to me where
you're from.
Why are you coming here?
Why did you choose me?
Right, because you got to keepgoing and you got to take them
answers and they're all.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
They're all something new.
I learned something new aboutevery state, every country.
It's amazing what goes on allover the world and when you talk
to these people, you know whenpeople think it's so bad.
It's really great in America.
It's better than what we think.
I really we get into deepconversations with my customers.
Interesting things, theirfamily life, their way of living
.
Wow, we are so blessed in theUnited States of America.
(05:10):
First off, every product in theworld is here.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
You just took a picture with a guy from Houston,
he came here specifically,probably because he saw you on
social media.
He sees your influence in thepizza world.
Now, some of these influencersthat are actual pizza critics or
judges, like Portnoy and allthose guys they know what
they're talking about, so ifthey do say something, you can
trust their word, you can trusttheir, and they want to come
here and meet you, bro, and it'svery important for our world,
(05:35):
especially in the Italiancommunity, for the Italian
people to stay together.
Right, it's important for us towork that way, just like any
culture should.
However, you have people comingin from every culture to eat
this pizza.
You are a staple in what peoplethink of New York-style pizza.
You're the guy I mean, you'reone of the guys the top tier,
right.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Okay, but I'm also one of the only ones that the
boss actually works.
That's why it's the way it is,because I care.
That's right.
It has my father's name on thesign.
It's not my name.
If I'm going to ruin it, I'llput my name before I put my
father's.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
He's holding you accountable.
He ain't even here right now.
His name's holding youaccountable.
That's called tradition, that'scalled integrity.
Bro in the food.
Did you call Luigi.
So let's go, man.
I know you got to get backthere and start cranking out
some pizza on.
Let's go to the kitchen.
Let's go Give me dough.
If I'm in your way, just kickme in the leg, right?
(06:27):
This is my sister, lisa.
Hi, lisa, how are you I?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
won't fall in touch with you.
How are you?
Speaker 1 (06:31):
You're good, how are you?
She's the youngest in the house, your dough made skim.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
I don't like whole milk.
Whole milk is too greasy.
You know you gotta how manypeople pat the pizza down.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
You'll never pat my pizza down and Grande's a great
company.
They do all kinds of cheese.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Oh, and there's the boss.
He's the boss.
Say hi, buddy.
Go on the other side, shake hishand.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
This is Luigi.
You're Luigi, you're the guy.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
He's the reason.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
I can't retire, right , buddy, you can't retire yet.
No, you're the reason he's gotto retire.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
You're going to let him retire one day.
Can I stay home?
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Nope.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Not tonight he loves coming here.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
You know how to make the pizza, luigi.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yes, You're making a pie yeah, what's your favorite
one?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
to make the square one?
Oh boy, yeah, he stretches thesquare, huh.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
He's a sauce person.
You're hip to be square.
Yeah, he's a sauce person.
Loves his sauce yeah, man.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Good, good, good.
So again we got grande cheese,one of the best producers out
there.
You got the dough made in house, any type of flour you use with
that.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Double zero.
I like to get it could be acheap flour that's called double
zero.
I use Ultrump or I use Produsa.
Produsa is very hard to get.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
When you do get it, though, it's on huh when I can,
and Ultrump.
We know that's easier to get,but it's also a really good
flour as well, nothing cheapabout it, because it's always
moving, it's always fresh andthat's what you want Calzones.
What else you got on the menu?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Pepperoni, meatball, chicken, sausage, eggplant, all
the rolls, basic stuff.
That's it.
Yes, can I make one please?
No, not right now, buddy, notright now.
It's too busy, Too busy.
Nice, he loves making the pizza.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So it's Friday night.
We're talking about 530.
What about 6 o'clock, 7 o'clock, look?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
it's already down there.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
That's good, though, so people have been coming here
now.
When you started getting alittle bit more on social media
and stuff, did you notice theinflux on that?
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Honestly, since they filmed the movie Big Daddy in
1998 here, okay, right, withAdam Sandler that was filmed in
here.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
That is right.
And then I did the NCAAtournament.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I did the Axe commercial the AT&T commercials
on comic books magazines.
I did commercials on comicbooks magazines.
I did street foods with Netflix.
The slice is the ultimatestreet food.
It's the only food I know I canfold up and put in my pocket if
I want to go back to it.
And then Daypoint only came insix months later, so between the
two I got destroyed.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
In a good way.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, in a good way, Destroyed in a good way.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
So sometimes those are the breaks we need, bro.
That's where the hard work andthe consistency.
If you weren't here on one ofthose nights, you might have
missed something Plenty of timesthat's happened too.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
That's happened too.
People have been oh, we came tofilm.
I'm like okay, but I got totake a break because I want to
spend time with my son.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Sure, you got to, bro , and I have kids myself, and
right now is the more I get intomy chef world, so there's going
to.
That's why you know what hecomes in to work with me.
Yeah, well, that's the bestthing, my father.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
When he was born, my father told me to retire, raise
your son.
I said.
But I can't do that.
He goes.
Don't make the same mistake.
I made An exact word, stupid.
Don't make the same mistake,twice.
Don't make the same mistake Imade.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Stay home, raise your son collect the rent.
I love being here, yeah.
Well, that's the thing too, bro.
You still, even though we gottaraise our kids, I still have to
live my life, because my kidsare gonna be 18, they're gonna
move on, they're gonna go livetheir life.
Yeah, and we still have to liveour lives too, but we also have
to do it with a respectful toneto it so we can stay in touch
with them.
But you know what?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
The way things are going today.
They're not guaranteed jobs.
My father made sure all of ushave a trade and a skill.
I mean school and a skill, justin case one could feed you.
All my sisters cut hair, who'sa beautician, who's a
hairstylist, cosmetologist, skindermatologist.
They all went to schools to doall that education and a trade.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
My father wanted that and you guys.
Back to this, bro, you guys aredoing straight old school
tickets.
Huh, you don't even needtickets.
This is all handwritten memopads.
That's it.
Yellow memo pads right here,with a line out the door going
down the avenue and this is howthey still do it.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Oh wait, until this goes.
Like this, like this, like this, I'm sure See, there's no
printing machine.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
There's no POS system .
No, this is old school Cashonly.
Or you got card too Cash only.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Cash only, cash only.
You don't do, you don't doZelle, I don't do Zelle, I don't
do apple.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
I don't do oranges.
I wrote it, had to write itdown.
You don't do nothing.
You don't even trade nothing.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
No, because people turn around and tell me oh, you
mean you don't do this, no, cashonly.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Cash only, like it should be right.
That's's that's no, no, no,they're moving.
You never know.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
And that's why I smile in here, I laugh in here.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
You have to, bro, because that's what sets you
apart from everybody else.
The pizza's gonna be wonderful,but the pizza's a reflection of
you.
Just like me, when I'm cookingmy food, I tell my chefs at work
with me, if you treat itdisrespectful, it's going to go
out to the customer.
Disrespectful, that's right.
And nobody wants to eat that.
They want to eat somethingthat's savory.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
They want to eat something delicate.
I will serve you anything thatI can't serve my son.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
That's right.
You got to have a smile on yourface when you're making it,
because they're going to loveeating it.
End of story.
You want to hear something?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
crazy too.
My mother and father passedaway, and when they passed away,
my father would be three years,my mother 10 years.
If they're anywhere, they'rehere.
I know it sounds crazy, but no,it don't sound crazy at all.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
This is how it is.
You missed them.
You know what they're notcoming back.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
The one thing for everything in life school work.
They taught me everything.
They didn't prepare me for themleaving.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
That's something I wasn't ready for.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Yeah, well, that's.
Unfortunately, I don't thinkanybody is.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
My father was 88 years old.
I was still getting advice fromhim when things didn't work out
right, so can you see thisregister right here?
Speaker 1 (12:18):
This is the register they're still using.
This thing came over on theMayflower.
They rented flour.
It was last fixed in 1947.
Yeah, no doubt.
Wow, so that's prettyimpressive too.
So everything they're doing inhere has a touch of old class.
So they're really just you'rereally just focusing on
traditional old world cooking.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
End of story.
I'm not smarter than my father,so I don't try to rewrite it
Right, even though I'm buildingnext door, next door, this will
not change Right?
This is not going to change.
Next door could be really nice,dining tables, lights, this and
that, but this has to stay theway.
My father, my grandfather, myuncles, giacchi, his father,
(12:55):
they all worked on this.
They put the floors down themud floor.
So Richie has some ties heretoo, giacchino.
Yes, frank, yes, frank has ties.
His father was my Uncle Leo.
Yep, nice, he would have beenlike yeah, madness, madness,
right.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Oh, his father was one of a kind Louie.
There's a picture of him rightthere, that's him.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
That's his father, that's Luigi.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that'sanother Luigi.
I should have known they wereboth a pain in the but I knew
him, I met him.
I met him.
I had dinner with him, yeah it.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
And here, here in Brooklyn and up in Maine.
Yeah, we definitely.
I met him all the time.
Great guy man.
Let me tell you this man, letme ask you a couple questions.
You ready Favorite tool in thekitchen.
You can't live without here.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Name one Favorite tool in the kitchen.
Everything is my favorite.
That's the problem.
Favorite tool the frying pan.
Frying pan, I can do anything.
I can make a sauce, a quicksauce with pasta.
I can make eggs, I can makeanything.
That's a good one.
No, that's a good one.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
All right, I like it.
Favorite TV show regardingpizza Movie Whatever Favorite
movie, mystic Pizza, oh, mysticPizza.
I didn't think of that.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I was thinking maybe Do the Right.
Remember Fast Times at RichmondHigh.
Yeah, with Spicoli Spicoli.
Yeah, this would be our pie.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
I think that was awesome.
Yeah, that'd be a wrap.
That's a good one too.
If this place was a car righthere, what car would it be?
If this was a car?
Yeah, It'd be a 57 Chevy 57Chevy exactly, or a 78.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Buick.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Rebuilt or classically just Let it rip
Right, buddy.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Yes, the Buick.
What's your favorite car, Luigi?
The.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Buick, you got the Buick.
You still see the Buick.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Tell me the Buick, how's it running?
Good, Good the Buick, yep 78Buick.
When my father came to Americahe fell in love with a Buick
Electra 225.
All right, it was like a 65Buick Electra.
He thought it was the greatestcar in the world.
And when I got older, when Igraduated high school, one of my
(14:57):
senior year he bought me a 78Buick Park Avenue because it was
the deuce in a quarter.
And I still have it.
It's got 50,000 miles, eventhough I did just convert it
from carburetor to electric toelectric.
Fuel injection Drives like adream now I'm sure it does.
Yeah, man, no more opening thehood, adjusting the carburetor,
but you're still running it, sothat's a good thing.
(15:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
I have to.
One last question.
I have that you're going tofucking, that people are going
to blow their minds.
What is the rumor?
What is your story?
What do you think about this?
New York water thing 100%.
So if you were to make yourpizza anywhere else.
If you were to come to Virginiawith me, bring all your shit
down there, you'd think thepizza would come out different
100%.
I was in Florida.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
That thing needs to be triple, quadruple water
purified.
I live in Staten Island.
There's a difference in thewater from Staten Island to here
.
Okay, the water in StatenIsland is.
It takes me longer to take ashower.
Okay, believe it, it takes melonger to take a shower.
Okay, believe it or not, it haslike a film, it takes me longer
.
Over here the water's harder.
(15:57):
People think I'm crazy, but Ithink it's because, like my
father used to say, the pipesunderground are all clay pipes
in Brooklyn and my father alwaysdrank water out of a mug
because he says water has to hitrock purified All these.
It's standing out and there'splastic piping over here.
There isn rocked purified, allthese.
It's not only this plasticpiping over here?
Speaker 1 (16:15):
there isn't.
So there it is.
There it is Right now.
I'm going to tell you right now, all you people out there
wondering is the New York waterthing.
This is one of the top-notchprofessionals.
This is one of the guys who'smaking New York pizza saying
water is the difference, righthere in Brooklyn, new York.
You already know that's thedeal.
G is laying it down the wateris the deal.
So let's stop the rumor now.
(16:36):
He said it.
I'm not listening to nobodyelse.
It's about the water.
The water makes a bigdifference.
The water, the water makes abig difference.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
And so we're going to end it on that G right, you got
it, bro.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
We're going to end it on that, brother.
I appreciate you.
Listen up here.
The restaurant industry isgrueling and unpredictable, just
like this shelf.
From the front of the house tothe back of the house and all in
between, we will turn up theheat, you turn up the volumes.
I'm Chef Antonio Caruana.
Welcome to the Tell All Podcastat Burnt Hands Prospective.
We're out here right now on theroad, Brooklyn, New York, and
this is not a pizza review.
(00:20):
However, we are in front ofLuigi's Pizza, One of my best
friend's, cousin, Gio.
So, like I said, there's beenmuch better reviewers than me.
So I'm not here to do a pizzareview.
I'm here to eat good pizza andspeak to the man behind the
legend of it all.
So we're gonna go inside rightnow and speak to Gio.
He's the owner who makes thepizza.
I don't need to review it, justtrust it's good.
We'll see you on the other side.
Alright, All right, listen, G,check this out.
(00:44):
We've all been watching you onsocial media.
What we talk about and what welike to introduce ourselves to
is everybody's struggle,everybody's strife, everybody's
glory and everything that we gothrough to get the fuck what
we've done.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
We do everything.
Break our.
You know what?
Yeah, break our cajones.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
That's right, right.
So every day we wake up in themorning and it's the same
struggle, no matter what levelyou're at.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
No, you mean to tell me we don't go shovel money,
like everybody thinks?
No, yeah right, when do weshovel money?
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, right, while we're shoveling the work.
Yeah, we're shoveling the dough.
That's right, we're shovelingthe dough the pizza dough.
But you, how long have you beenworking in this industry, bro?
First of all, here, do the mathright 21.
21.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
So he's been at it a little while Plus 39.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
I'm 60.
So let me ask you, man, acouple questions I've had,
because I always love talking topeople who I've been doing this
for 30 years, but I've changedmy level of where I've been as a
chef, right.
So I deal with differentingredients, I change with the
tides, right, while stillkeeping true to the traditions.
I've got to do that.
(01:45):
You have to stay true to thetraditions, right?
So, anyway, I'm going tobacktrack a little bit.
So when you have tomatoes andingredients, right, we come up
with it.
You've been doing this for solong that your product has to
stay consistent, right?
So let's say, the market, let'ssay, if you're using a
Stanislaus product or whatevertomato company you use, right,
they change up or they mix outor they go out of business.
When does the panic set in?
When's the panic.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, all right, I was using an Italian tomato.
I can't get anymore Right.
So I went looking and I foundMutti.
It's the best, end of story.
That's it.
End of story.
It is by far the best becauseit's got the lowest sodium, the
lowest sugar and it's natural.
You notice added additives andI'll be honest with you, I am
really happy with the tomato.
(02:25):
It's three, three years, but ifMutti should ever change, I am
a real finicky person.
People bring me tomatoes.
I open the can, I look at itthey want.
I want tomatoes of the season,I don't want last year's
tomatoes.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
What are you looking for in a can?
I have certain things I lookfor.
When the can opens itself, areyou using the whole plum that
you break down?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I use a plum I look for when a can opens itself.
Are you using a whole plum thatyou break down?
I use a plum, I break it down,but I look at the can itself to
make sure that the inside isn'tgoing bad, they're not spoiled.
It's a whole process because,I'll be honest with you, there's
a million companies out thereOf course there is, but Mutti's
been around.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
They're from Parma.
Mutti's a company from ParmaItaly, for centuries, and now
they're all over the world.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Now they're all over the world, united Kingdom.
No matter where I talk topeople, they're oh yeah, we have
it in.
Like I had people from theUnited Kingdom, oh, we have
Mutti there.
I was like, well, that's whatyou use.
People are on this big kick ofSan Marzano tomato.
San Marzano is the size of adime.
It's impossible for them tomake enough tomatoes of their
head right.
It's a type of tomato, it's astyle of tomato and it's brought
(03:24):
in from everywhere.
Mutti uses the best of the bestand that's it and I'll be
honest with you, it's been soconsistent I've never had to say
, wow, this tomato is bad.
I do open the cans, I do take atomato and I eat it.
People look at me.
I love eating.
I'm eating something that wasgrown on Italian soil, italian
rain, everything in the weatherdown there.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
When I eat that, I feel like I'm eating something
like I'm eating in Italy, inBrooklyn, new York.
Now we are live right now.
As always, we do things on thelive tip, we don't do anything
staged, so people walk in andout.
We're in a live restaurant.
It's a Friday night rush.
We're in Brooklyn, new York.
Everybody knows what time it is.
Here at this restaurant, at this, at this pizzeria so mooty.
I just did a short on those, Idid a a tomato review and my
number one tomato go-to is amooty.
And talking about the sanmarzano.
(04:11):
Now, san marzano, like he said,is this big, but san marzano is
a region of italy and napleswhere that, that one thing is
grown, so in the middle of allthat you're not gonna have
enough, just like you said.
So, in the style of San Marzano, it's totally different.
Now, moving on G, I know wedon't have much time here
because you're a busy dude, bro,and you've got people from all
over the world.
I watch people coming in hereand you're asking them where
(04:32):
they're from.
You're very engaging with yourpeople.
Oh, I love it.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
That's why I'm here.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
And I'm the same way with my customers to me where
you're from.
Why are you coming here?
Why did you choose me?
Right, because you got to keepgoing and you got to take them
answers and they're all.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
They're all something new.
I learned something new aboutevery state, every country.
It's amazing what goes on allover the world and when you talk
to these people, you know whenpeople think it's so bad.
It's really great in America.
It's better than what we think.
I really we get into deepconversations with my customers.
Interesting things, theirfamily life, their way of living
.
Wow, we are so blessed in theUnited States of America.
(05:10):
First off, every product in theworld is here.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
You just took a picture with a guy from Houston,
he came here specifically,probably because he saw you on
social media.
He sees your influence in thepizza world.
Now, some of these influencersthat are actual pizza critics or
judges, like Portnoy and allthose guys they know what
they're talking about, so ifthey do say something, you can
trust their word, you can trusttheir, and they want to come
here and meet you, bro, and it'svery important for our world,
(05:35):
especially in the Italiancommunity, for the Italian
people to stay together.
Right, it's important for us towork that way, just like any
culture should.
However, you have people comingin from every culture to eat
this pizza.
You are a staple in what peoplethink of New York-style pizza.
You're the guy I mean, you'reone of the guys the top tier,
right.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Okay, but I'm also one of the only ones that the
boss actually works.
That's why it's the way it is,because I care.
That's right.
It has my father's name on thesign.
It's not my name.
If I'm going to ruin it, I'llput my name before I put my
father's.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
He's holding you accountable.
He ain't even here right now.
His name's holding youaccountable.
That's called tradition, that'scalled integrity.
Bro in the food.
Did you call Luigi.
So let's go, man.
I know you got to get backthere and start cranking out
some pizza on.
Let's go to the kitchen.
Let's go Give me dough.
If I'm in your way, just kickme in the leg, right?
(06:27):
This is my sister, lisa.
Hi, lisa, how are you I?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
won't fall in touch with you.
How are you?
Speaker 1 (06:31):
You're good, how are you?
She's the youngest in the house, your dough made skim.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
I don't like whole milk.
Whole milk is too greasy.
You know you gotta how manypeople pat the pizza down.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
You'll never pat my pizza down and Grande's a great
company.
They do all kinds of cheese.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Oh, and there's the boss.
He's the boss.
Say hi, buddy.
Go on the other side, shake hishand.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
This is Luigi.
You're Luigi, you're the guy.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
He's the reason.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
I can't retire, right , buddy, you can't retire yet.
No, you're the reason he's gotto retire.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
You're going to let him retire one day.
Can I stay home?
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Nope.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Not tonight he loves coming here.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
You know how to make the pizza, luigi.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yes, You're making a pie yeah, what's your favorite
one?
Speaker 1 (07:22):
to make the square one?
Oh boy, yeah, he stretches thesquare, huh.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
He's a sauce person.
You're hip to be square.
Yeah, he's a sauce person.
Loves his sauce yeah, man.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Good, good, good.
So again we got grande cheese,one of the best producers out
there.
You got the dough made in house, any type of flour you use with
that.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Double zero.
I like to get it could be acheap flour that's called double
zero.
I use Ultrump or I use Produsa.
Produsa is very hard to get.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
When you do get it, though, it's on huh when I can,
and Ultrump.
We know that's easier to get,but it's also a really good
flour as well, nothing cheapabout it, because it's always
moving, it's always fresh andthat's what you want Calzones.
What else you got on the menu?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Pepperoni, meatball, chicken, sausage, eggplant, all
the rolls, basic stuff.
That's it.
Yes, can I make one please?
No, not right now, buddy, notright now.
It's too busy, Too busy.
Nice, he loves making the pizza.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So it's Friday night.
We're talking about 530.
What about 6 o'clock, 7 o'clock, look?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
it's already down there.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
That's good, though, so people have been coming here
now.
When you started getting alittle bit more on social media
and stuff, did you notice theinflux on that?
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Honestly, since they filmed the movie Big Daddy in
1998 here, okay, right, withAdam Sandler that was filmed in
here.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
That is right.
And then I did the NCAAtournament.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I did the Axe commercial the AT&T commercials
on comic books magazines.
I did commercials on comicbooks magazines.
I did street foods with Netflix.
The slice is the ultimatestreet food.
It's the only food I know I canfold up and put in my pocket if
I want to go back to it.
And then Daypoint only came insix months later, so between the
two I got destroyed.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
In a good way.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, in a good way, Destroyed in a good way.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
So sometimes those are the breaks we need, bro.
That's where the hard work andthe consistency.
If you weren't here on one ofthose nights, you might have
missed something Plenty of timesthat's happened too.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
That's happened too.
People have been oh, we came tofilm.
I'm like okay, but I got totake a break because I want to
spend time with my son.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Sure, you got to, bro , and I have kids myself, and
right now is the more I get intomy chef world, so there's going
to.
That's why you know what hecomes in to work with me.
Yeah, well, that's the bestthing, my father.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
When he was born, my father told me to retire, raise
your son.
I said.
But I can't do that.
He goes.
Don't make the same mistake.
I made An exact word, stupid.
Don't make the same mistake,twice.
Don't make the same mistake Imade.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Stay home, raise your son collect the rent.
I love being here, yeah.
Well, that's the thing too, bro.
You still, even though we gottaraise our kids, I still have to
live my life, because my kidsare gonna be 18, they're gonna
move on, they're gonna go livetheir life.
Yeah, and we still have to liveour lives too, but we also have
to do it with a respectful toneto it so we can stay in touch
with them.
But you know what?
Speaker 2 (10:00):
The way things are going today.
They're not guaranteed jobs.
My father made sure all of ushave a trade and a skill.
I mean school and a skill, justin case one could feed you.
All my sisters cut hair, who'sa beautician, who's a
hairstylist, cosmetologist, skindermatologist.
They all went to schools to doall that education and a trade.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
My father wanted that and you guys.
Back to this, bro, you guys aredoing straight old school
tickets.
Huh, you don't even needtickets.
This is all handwritten memopads.
That's it.
Yellow memo pads right here,with a line out the door going
down the avenue and this is howthey still do it.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Oh wait, until this goes.
Like this, like this, like this, I'm sure See, there's no
printing machine.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
There's no POS system .
No, this is old school Cashonly.
Or you got card too Cash only.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Cash only, cash only.
You don't do, you don't doZelle, I don't do Zelle, I don't
do apple.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
I don't do oranges.
I wrote it, had to write itdown.
You don't do nothing.
You don't even trade nothing.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
No, because people turn around and tell me oh, you
mean you don't do this, no, cashonly.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Cash only, like it should be right.
That's's that's no, no, no,they're moving.
You never know.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
And that's why I smile in here, I laugh in here.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
You have to, bro, because that's what sets you
apart from everybody else.
The pizza's gonna be wonderful,but the pizza's a reflection of
you.
Just like me, when I'm cookingmy food, I tell my chefs at work
with me, if you treat itdisrespectful, it's going to go
out to the customer.
Disrespectful, that's right.
And nobody wants to eat that.
They want to eat somethingthat's savory.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
They want to eat something delicate.
I will serve you anything thatI can't serve my son.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
That's right.
You got to have a smile on yourface when you're making it,
because they're going to loveeating it.
End of story.
You want to hear something?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
crazy too.
My mother and father passedaway, and when they passed away,
my father would be three years,my mother 10 years.
If they're anywhere, they'rehere.
I know it sounds crazy, but no,it don't sound crazy at all.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
This is how it is.
You missed them.
You know what they're notcoming back.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
The one thing for everything in life school work.
They taught me everything.
They didn't prepare me for themleaving.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
That's something I wasn't ready for.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Yeah, well, that's.
Unfortunately, I don't thinkanybody is.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
My father was 88 years old.
I was still getting advice fromhim when things didn't work out
right, so can you see thisregister right here?
Speaker 1 (12:18):
This is the register they're still using.
This thing came over on theMayflower.
They rented flour.
It was last fixed in 1947.
Yeah, no doubt.
Wow, so that's prettyimpressive too.
So everything they're doing inhere has a touch of old class.
So they're really just you'rereally just focusing on
traditional old world cooking.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
End of story.
I'm not smarter than my father,so I don't try to rewrite it
Right, even though I'm buildingnext door, next door, this will
not change Right?
This is not going to change.
Next door could be really nice,dining tables, lights, this and
that, but this has to stay theway.
My father, my grandfather, myuncles, giacchi, his father,
(12:55):
they all worked on this.
They put the floors down themud floor.
So Richie has some ties heretoo, giacchino.
Yes, frank, yes, frank has ties.
His father was my Uncle Leo.
Yep, nice, he would have beenlike yeah, madness, madness,
right.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Oh, his father was one of a kind Louie.
There's a picture of him rightthere, that's him.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
That's his father, that's Luigi.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that'sanother Luigi.
I should have known they wereboth a pain in the but I knew
him, I met him.
I met him.
I had dinner with him, yeah it.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
And here, here in Brooklyn and up in Maine.
Yeah, we definitely.
I met him all the time.
Great guy man.
Let me tell you this man, letme ask you a couple questions.
You ready Favorite tool in thekitchen.
You can't live without here.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Name one Favorite tool in the kitchen.
Everything is my favorite.
That's the problem.
Favorite tool the frying pan.
Frying pan, I can do anything.
I can make a sauce, a quicksauce with pasta.
I can make eggs, I can makeanything.
That's a good one.
No, that's a good one.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
All right, I like it.
Favorite TV show regardingpizza Movie Whatever Favorite
movie, mystic Pizza, oh, mysticPizza.
I didn't think of that.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
I was thinking maybe Do the Right.
Remember Fast Times at RichmondHigh.
Yeah, with Spicoli Spicoli.
Yeah, this would be our pie.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
I think that was awesome.
Yeah, that'd be a wrap.
That's a good one too.
If this place was a car righthere, what car would it be?
If this was a car?
Yeah, It'd be a 57 Chevy 57Chevy exactly, or a 78.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Buick.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Rebuilt or classically just Let it rip
Right, buddy.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Yes, the Buick.
What's your favorite car, Luigi?
The.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Buick, you got the Buick.
You still see the Buick.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Tell me the Buick, how's it running?
Good, Good the Buick, yep 78Buick.
When my father came to Americahe fell in love with a Buick
Electra 225.
All right, it was like a 65Buick Electra.
He thought it was the greatestcar in the world.
And when I got older, when Igraduated high school, one of my
(14:57):
senior year he bought me a 78Buick Park Avenue because it was
the deuce in a quarter.
And I still have it.
It's got 50,000 miles, eventhough I did just convert it
from carburetor to electric toelectric.
Fuel injection Drives like adream now I'm sure it does.
Yeah, man, no more opening thehood, adjusting the carburetor,
but you're still running it, sothat's a good thing.
(15:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
I have to.
One last question.
I have that you're going tofucking, that people are going
to blow their minds.
What is the rumor?
What is your story?
What do you think about this?
New York water thing 100%.
So if you were to make yourpizza anywhere else.
If you were to come to Virginiawith me, bring all your shit
down there, you'd think thepizza would come out different
100%.
I was in Florida.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
That thing needs to be triple, quadruple water
purified.
I live in Staten Island.
There's a difference in thewater from Staten Island to here
.
Okay, the water in StatenIsland is.
It takes me longer to take ashower.
Okay, believe it, it takes melonger to take a shower.
Okay, believe it or not, it haslike a film, it takes me longer
.
Over here the water's harder.
(15:57):
People think I'm crazy, but Ithink it's because, like my
father used to say, the pipesunderground are all clay pipes
in Brooklyn and my father alwaysdrank water out of a mug
because he says water has to hitrock purified All these.
It's standing out and there'splastic piping over here.
There isn rocked purified, allthese.
It's not only this plasticpiping over here?
Speaker 1 (16:15):
there isn't.
So there it is.
There it is Right now.
I'm going to tell you right now, all you people out there
wondering is the New York waterthing.
This is one of the top-notchprofessionals.
This is one of the guys who'smaking New York pizza saying
water is the difference, righthere in Brooklyn, new York.
You already know that's thedeal.
G is laying it down the wateris the deal.
So let's stop the rumor now.
(16:36):
He said it.
I'm not listening to nobodyelse.
It's about the water.
The water makes a bigdifference.
The water, the water makes abig difference.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
And so we're going to end it on that G right, you got
it, bro.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
We're going to end it on that, brother.
I appreciate you.
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