Anthony Giordano’s ambition for pizza is global. He doesn’t limit his perspective to Providence, New England, the East Coast, or even the United States. Instead, he compares himself only to the world’s elite. Based on his rapid-fire statistics, most of these top-tier pizza makers are located in Naples, Italy, the birthplace of his grandmother, Anna.
Even without hearing the stories of Anna directly from Giordano, the prose on Anna’s Vesuviano website paints a vivid picture. Anna, who passed away before Giordano was born, is the subject of captivating family lore: she was an Ellis Island translator, had ties to a crime family, and was a heroine in her own right. This fascinating history drew in Giordano and made his grandmother a guiding force, his North Star. Her lessons were simple yet profound: work relentlessly, get an education, build connections, and shatter expectations. Her spirit is the foundation of his work and her portrait adorns the walls of the bright, understated pizzeria on Doyle Avenue, inviting customers to learn more about the woman who inspired it all.
“Anna’s is a complete revolt against the standardization and uniformity of pizza,” Giordano says. “My goal has always been to open people’s minds to what’s possible with pizza. A canvas with no boundaries that very few can truly make sense of.” His commitment is absolute, stating, “I’ll do anything required of me to be the best.”
After growing up in Brooklyn, eating New York’s legendary Una Pizza Napoletana, learning the industry under the wing of his multi-talented restaurateur brother Shawn, and working in Naples for two and a half years, Giordano isn’t just here to try and make a great pie in little Providence, though he is. “I wasn’t born here. I’m a guest. So as a guest, I welcome all people to Anna’s,” says the intense-yet-playful entrepreneur. “The community has been nothing but amazing and supportive, something I never experienced growing up in New York.”
As we sit at mosaic-topped tables surrounded by familiar pops of red and green, Giordano is quick to educate me on some of the reasons why Neapolitan pizza remains the ultimate. And it has everything to do with locality: the fertile volcanic soil, the freshness, the community. So every chance he gets, he packs up his team and heads to the little neighborhoods and ancient streets of one of the oldest cities on a sensory tour through the list of the world’s best pizza. To help educate, inspire, and be immersed in what that truly means, because, as he says, “If you’re not making what you think is the best, then why are you doing it at all?”
One night each month, a reservation-only experience offers five or six different pizzas – mostly vegetarian – along with an appetizer, a dessert, and a continuous pour of “sexy Lambrusco.” Much like in Italy, this tasting menu is designed to take diners on an adventure of texture and ingredients. These components range from imported selections to regional specialties, such as Mozzarella di Bufala from Newport’s Mozz, which Giordano considers on par with mozzarella made in Naples.
Giordano’s responses to my seemingly ordinary inquiries about being a chef and living in Providence are existential. This might be a reflection of the Vesuvian heritage – same as Anna’s – that runs through his veins. Those with Vesuvian blood understand better than anyone that an eruption could take their lives at any moment, prompting a philosophy of fully appreciating every present moment. Anna’s: 114 Doyle Avenue, AnnasVesuviano.com
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here