By William Jacko
Special to The Laker/Lutz News
Long before Andrea Mannino founded Amici Pizza, it was the prospect of love, not business, that inspired him to leave his hometown of Carini, Italy, for America.
His son, Vincent, smiles as he tells the story of the family restaurant his parents founded 18 years ago in Wesley Chapel.
“My parents are from the same town in Sicily,” relays Vincent. “My father heard about this girl named Josephine from his hometown who had moved to America, and he knew he had to meet her. So he too came to America, met Josephine in Brooklyn, and they fell in love and got married.”
A quarter of a century later, Andrea and Josephine moved to Florida, and Amici Pizza was born. Specializing in hand-tossed, New York-style pizza and made-from-scratch Italian dishes, Amici Pizza has thrived in Wesley Chapel since 2001.
“Just about everything is prepped here,” said Vincent, who co-manages the restaurant with his brother, Rick. “We make our own lasagna and meatballs. We bread our own chicken, eggplant and veal. We make our own desserts, and have the sweetest cannoli around. And, of course, we offer espresso and cappuccino coffees.”
The freshness of its food is the key to Amici’s success, Rick adds.
“It just seems so basic, but it’s the most important thing. We make our dough from scratch and don’t use any preservatives. We’re not like a franchise, where they actually send everything pre-measured and mixed,” said Rick.
Freshness begins with the Manninos buying their produce locally every day and taking it back to the restaurant to create their authentic Italian recipes they will serve that day.
“Our veal cutlet for the Sorrentino is freshly pounded, hand-breaded and fried, so you’ve got the layer of veal, the layer of eggplant, and then the marinara sauce and mozzarella on top —and done in here,” said Rick.
Other menu items include salads, pasta, wings, hot and cold subs, calzones, Stromboli, entrees and desserts. House specials are Italian recipes that the Manninos have created, such as bacio, chicken contadino and chicken villetta.
“My parents created our specials over the years, like chicken villetta. This is a rosemary-baked chicken dish in creamy Alfredo sauce, with onions, mushrooms and homegrown rosemary from my father’s garden,” said Rick.
Amici Pizza has a longtime customer base that feels like family, and the Manninos work hard to keep it that way. The restaurant offers take out, catering and dining at the restaurant, including outside seating.
www.Amici-Pizza.com
813-973-9734
26602 Wesley Chapel Blvd
Published July 31, 2019
