Sam Morales

JRN 201- 18862

October 23, 2015

Local Business News Story

The Napolitano pizzeria that gives the real taste of Italy

By Sam Morales

PHOENIX- La Piazza Al Forno is a family owned brick oven pizzeria in Downtown Glendale.

Their authentic style of cooking keeps business coming, especially with Glendale Glitters right

around the corner.

“The father worked in pizzerias in New York. They’re from New Jersey, and they moved here a

little over 30 years ago. The son and daughter went to Glendale high school, which is one of the

reasons why they liked Glendale. The family owned a restaurant from 1996-1999, over on 43rd

and Olive. That closed down and they decided to open this restaurant,” Patty Reinfried, daytime

manager at La Piazza Al Forno said.

La Piazza Al Forno bases their food off of Naples, Italy. Five years ago the business got proof of

authenticity. People from Naples came by and certified them as a real Napolitano pizzeria.

“Most of our stuff is imported. Our flour is imported. We make our house-made mozzarella

every day. San Marzano tomatoes are imported from Italy. Both of our ovens were made and

sent from Naples. Everything that says D.O.C. is certified authentic. It’s as Italian as you can get.

We’re compared the most to Bianco’s,” Reinfried said.

La Piazza Al Forno was featured on the popular Food Network show “Diners Drive-ins and

Drives” back in 2008. Guy Fieri made all of them laugh, and it was a very cool experience for

the whole crew. Their most popular pizza, the Italian Stallion, was featured on the show. Along

with the Mediterranean pizza.

“The Italian Stallion has all the meat on it. It’s heavy. The Salvatore is my favorite because it’s

light. One of my favorites that we can do is a white clam pizza. It has chunks of garlic. I stick to

the same pizza a lot, even though I’ve eaten a thousand pizzas here. However, I love adding

arugula to my pizzas,” Reinfried said.

La Piazza Al Forno isn’t just known for their pizzas. Their desserts, pastas, salads, and even

bottled sodas leave customers with plenty to choose from.

“The owner makes the most amazing cheesecake. She usually doesn’t do anything on

Wednesdays and Thursdays, she just bakes,” Reinfried said.

La Piazza Al Forno is closed from 3 to 5 p.m. during the week. “It’s mostly just for my guys, the

bakers. They work all day long. We close at 8:30 p.m. so it still gives them a decent time to

spend with their families. We have a completely different crew at night,” Reinfried said.
Inside La Piazza Al Forno are tables seated with a view of the brick ovens. Modern chandeliers

are hung above each table, and all the awards given to the restaurant are seen when you first

walk in.

“We just changed the interior about seven months ago. We wanted a more edgy, modern look,”

Reinfried said.

“Overall, we have ten employees. I’ve been here seven years. His aunt works here at night, she’s

the other manager, and she’s been here for eight years. Our servers have been here usually three

to five years. All of the cooks have been here five to six years. We’re like a family. We yell at

each other all the time,” Reinfried said.

Saturdays are the busiest day of the week for La Piazza Al Forno. There’s usually an hour to

hour and a half wait on Saturday nights. Starting in about two weeks, it’s going to get busy.

Between Glendale Glitters and the snowbirds, La Piazza Al Forno will be bursting with business.

“They’re about to do the Food Truck festival [Glendale’s Best Street Food] here on the 14th. It’s

supposed to be awesome. I’m so excited. Our cooks are talking about doing something, but I’m

not sure how they’ll get the oven over there. The oven weighs like 5,000 pounds. Maybe we

could do dessert,” Reinfried said.

“One of the greatest things about this place is that the owners and us as employees we care so

much about the product. We have so many regulars, and that is our goal to make sure you guys
come in and enjoy this authentic way of doing things. I could eat two of those [12 inch pizzas] by

myself. Most people are like it’s so weird and different, but I’m like you’ll never want to eat

another pizza again. The pepperoni is a good way to show since it’s not greasy,” Reinfried said.

La Piazza Al Forno is located on 5803 W. Glendale Ave. Glendale, AZ 85307. Their phone

number is 623-847-330. They’re closed Sunday and Monday. Their weekday hours are Tuesday

through Thursday 11a.m to 3p.m., and 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Their weekend hours are Friday

and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.