This year marks the 40th anniversary of Broadway Stages. In celebration of our 40th trip around the sun, we are shining the spotlight on the heart of our community – the local businesses and organizations that provide goods, services, and experiences that allow us to thrive and delight in this great city we call home. We continue our series in Staten Island and feature the local establishments that line our streets, providing a livelihood and rich culture for our neighbors, family, and friends. Join us as we get to know the people and organizations that make our community home. Today, we are happy to share information about the great food and amazing people at Pienza Brick Oven Pizza on South Avenue!

Pienza Brick Oven Pizza is a quick-service restaurant located in Corporate Commons Three, in the Corporate Commons Complex on Staten Island. “Our favorite town in Italy is Pienza,” owners Lois and Richard Nicotra explain. “It is a Tuscan town, and the flavors of its cheese, meat, and pizza are worth the trip. We love Staten Island, and we want to bring the tastes we enjoy to our beautiful borough. We are trying to transport a little of this Tuscan town right here in New York.”

The Tuscan cuisine includes pizzas, calzones, and rolls hot from the brick oven. In the mood for pasta?  They offer imported De Cecco rigatoni, spaghetti, penne, and fettuccine.  The tomatoes and herbs were picked fresh!  

In a move close to Broadway Stages’ heart, much of their food is grown locally, upstairs on the rooftop organic farm. Pienza’s food incorporates fresh produce from the 40,000-square-foot organic rooftop farm located at the top of the Nicotras’ office building. Indoors, two giant olive trees grow across the ceiling of the eatery, and outdoors, a large seating area overlooks a grape vineyard.

Richard Nicotra said. “By eliminating any use of pesticides, our Farm hosts an ecosystem that allows Mother Nature to bring the fruits and vegetables to harvest without man-made interference. Nicotra Grown Organic Rooftop Farm has yielded romaine lettuce, arugula, raspberries, tomatoes, basil, lavender, thyme, zucchini, patty pan squash, and more.

The motto at Pienza’s is Mangia Bene, Fai Bene, or Eat Good, Do Good. The pizza, pasta, and antipasto definitely qualify for the Eat Good aspect of the motto. And their environmental stewardship alone would qualify them for the Do Good part. But Pienza’s is also a social enterprise eatery or, as owners Lois & Richard Nicotra call it, a socially responsible restaurant.

The Italian eatery, a sister restaurant to the Nicotras’ Commons Cafè, also located at the Teleport, will gift 100% of its profits to charity. The Nicotras don’t take a penny of profit from the two social enterprises. They have gifted profits of more than $1 million in donations to the Staten Island community through grants to non-profit groups and as higher education scholarships to their employees’ children and grandchildren.

Pienza’s is open Monday through Friday, 11 am to 7 pm. If you want, you can order ahead HERE. We suggest following them on Facebook and Instagram for offers and events or just to feast with your eyes! Stop by for a slice or three (it’s for a good cause)! And don’t forget to tell the Broadway Stages sent you!