Neapolitan-style pizzeria Piccolo Buco to open in Naperville's Block 59 in August
Specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza, the Italian eatery was started by Tim McEnery, founder and CEO of Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant, which also has a Naperville location. In his quest to find the best pizza in the world, McEnery came upon a pizza shop in Rome with the same name just steps away from the Trevi Fountain that became his inspiration, according to the restaurant's website.
'It was pizza that he had never had the way it was made, with a very puffy crust and very Neapolitan style,' said Jason Plutz, chief restaurant officer for Cooper's Hawk. 'He hadn't seen that in the United States and he thought to himself, 'Wow. One, this is incredible pizza. And two, our wine club members would love an experience like this.''
McEnery reached out to Luca Issa, owner of the Rome restaurant, to discuss bringing the concept to the U.S. Issa initially declined but changed his mind after learning more about McEnery's background and the Cooper's Hawk brand.
The first Piccolo Buco in the U.S. opened in Oak Brook in 2022. Naperville's will be the second.
Its pizzas feature a puffy crust based on Issa's recipe, according to Plutz. When it is served, the pizza crust — made with flour imported from Italy — is punctured and then cut with scissors to preserve the fluffiness as much as possible, he said.
There are three types of sauces: a traditional red as well as a creamy white and a unique yellow sauce. The red and yellow sauces are made from tomatoes sourced from Italy, Plutz said.
The restaurant will also serve a variety of pastas, entrees, appetizers and desserts. Sandwiches will be available until 3:30 p.m.
Able to seat 192 people, the Block 59 Piccolo Buco will boast a wine tasting room serving various Italian and Cooper's Hawk selections. That aspect of the restaurant, which will be unique to the Naperville location, is a way of tying the two restaurants together, Plutz said.
'Our wine club members, they love the experience of a tasting room,' he said.
Piccolo Buco is one of the newest restaurants to be announced for Block 59. Already open are The Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack and First Watch, which unveiled its second Naperville location there earlier this month. Others slated to open later this year include Stan's Donuts, Velvet Taco, Cava, Crisp & Green and Fresh Fin.
'We couldn't be happier being in Naperville with the energy that's going on in that development,' Plutz said.
The company is also planning to open a third Piccolo Buco in Tampa, Florida, in October.
With an Aug. 24 opening planned for the Naperville location, the restaurant is in the process of hiring bartenders, servers, tasting room attendants, hosts, porters and a full culinary team. Job applications are available at to careers.chwinery.com.
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