Roberto Caporuscio: the first Italian pizza chef to bring authentic Neapolitan pizza to America in 1999. Originally from Lazio, he embarked on a career in gastronomy by producing and selling dairy products on his family's farm in Pontinia, the fertile part of Lazio that borders Campania.
His company produced seeds for export and also had a dairy herd. The issue of milk quota fines, which affected many farmers at the time, forced him to close the business. He had to start over and reinvent his life.
“"I got back into the game," he says, "at 38, I decided to learn to be a pizza chef because I had a cousin who had opened an Italian pizzeria in the Turks and Caicos Islands, in the Caribbean, and he offered me a job. But I decided I wanted to learn that trade in the best place in the world, which was close to my home: Naples. I had several teachers, famous pizza chefs, who revealed their secrets to me, and from there I started.".
Before moving to the Caribbean, however, he decided to stop in the United States to learn English. He found work in a pizzeria in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the eve of the new millennium. Roberto's dream, in fact, was to export Neapolitan pizza to the States, and so he opened two pizzerias, one in Pittsburgh and one in New Jersey.
“One day an Italian-American, won over by my pizza, proposed that we go into partnership and open a pizzeria.” he recalls. Needless to say, the success was immediate.
But it was born in 2009 Kestè Pizza & Wine in New York City. First on Blekeer St, then Fulton Street. At the foot of the famous Brooklyn Bridge, and a short distance from Ground Zero. The name itself captures the entire philosophy of the establishment: Kestè means "this is..."“
So, it's either this or that. Pizza as it's made in Naples, no meatballs, no fries, or anything fancy on top. No compromises. Without pandering to the tastes and fashions of American consumers.
Roberto and his daughter Giorgia, who now runs her own restaurant in Uptown, have created a true brand. Pizza of every flavor, including the traditional fried pizza and its countless different variations, as well as traditional Italian dishes.
Three months later, NyMagazine ranked it first in its New York pizzeria rankings. Some time later, Time Out followed suit.
Roberto strives to spread knowledge of authentic Neapolitan pizza, even among local pizza makers, who were not up to par at the time. Since then, he has trained over 300 professional pizza makers in the United States, Canada, and Latin America in authentic, traditional pizza.
“"I explained to them how to use flour, which raw materials to choose, how to let the dough rise, and how to cook it. Some even opened their own pizzerias...".
The Covid period and subsequent restrictions put the business to the test, but Caporuscio, with his lively mind and typically Italian brilliance, focused on providing a service to the community and his customers. And above all, to avoid laying off any of his many employees, he created Kestè Pizza Go, an innovative delivery service that quickly became a true cult throughout America.
“The pizzas are the same ones served in our Kesté Pizza & Vino– explains Caporuscio – They are prepared, cooked in a wood-fired oven, and then placed in a machine that freezes them perfectly. Then, they are immediately wrapped and sealed individually to avoid any contamination and stored in the refrigerator.“
Home delivery takes place overnight: "To ensure the pizzas arrive frozen, we ship them in an insulated box filled with dry ice. Once the pizza arrives, the customer simply removes it from the box, removes the cling film, and puts it in the oven for 4 minutes."“
Roberto Caporuscio is president of the Neapolitan Pizza Makers Association in America, as well as being one of the main ambassadors of the Made in Italy and quality pizza in New York. He's a trainer, and his many courses offer real experiences for those who want to embark on this path, as well as for those who just want to dabble.
“I have always deliberately chosen quality raw materials, strictly imported from Italy. The flour is from Naples Caputo Mill (He shows us a poster with a dedication) the best, the tomatoes come from the Nocera-Sarnese countryside, the prosciutto and culatello from Parma, the truffles from Urbani, the Mortadella Bologna PGI, the Finocchiona PGI, the Parmigiano Reggiano and many other Italian excellences. Needless to say, we have great quality..." Roberto Caporuscio's menu also includes gluten-free pizza, which is very popular these days.
“"With no small amount of difficulty," he admits, "but we tried to accommodate those with specific allergies. Making a pizza like this, with a dough that doesn't have elasticity, is certainly not easy, but we managed it." At Kestè, you can find the actor, as well as the employee, the family, the manager, or the passing tourist.
“"Pizza is a common thing among all social classes: a lawyer in Naples, for example, eats it next to an illegal parking attendant. It's a normal thing. A social fact that unites everyone. The same story is repeated here too." He concludes. We firmly believe this!
