Gusto Napoletano, LLC

About Us

Fayetteville, NC
For Fayetteville pizzaiuolo, Neapolitan pizza status a point of pride

By Jacob Pucci, The Fayetteville Observer
The Fayetteville Observer

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2c6pkl_0dH6UvZ700
December 6, 2017.

Nadia Minniti knows the date well. It's the day when Neapolitan pizza — more specifically, the ''Art of Neapolitan 'Pizzaiuolo''' — was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a recognition Minniti, owner and trained pizzaiuolo at Gusto Napoletano in Fayetteville, said is long-awaited and well-deserved.

''As a Neapolitan, I'm very proud of my culture and my heritage,'' said Minniti, who was born in Naples, Italy. ''Finally, we're being recognized for something we've been doing for hundreds of years.''

She called the addition of Neapolitan pizza to the list, which happened four years ago Monday, a ''big, big deal.''

Before opening Gusto Napoletano at 2711 Raeford Road in September 2019, Minniti traveled to the AVPN's school in California for an intensive, multi-day course to become a certified pizzaiuolo, or pizza maker. For Minniti, a chef of 26 years, as well as a culinary instructor and food historian, that certification tied together her love of cooking, history and heritage.

''Being a pizzaiuolo brings it all together for me,'' she said.

Part of that heritage means adhering to international regulations regarding ingredients, equipment and technique set by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana.