A local pizza joint is celebrating federal funding that’s helping bring new life to Troy’s Little Italy neighborhood.
DeFazio’s Pizza got $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to support expansions near its South Troy restaurant and import storefront. The three-generation concern will soon open a new location just blocks away from its original site that will serve as a full-service eatery with event space and a commercial kitchen.
Matt DeFazio, the son of owner Rocco DeFazio, says the $2 million project has been in the works for several years.
“You can serve thousands of people out of this one big facility in a day between catering, between service, between delivery, where you know, my dad is still using the same size stove you have at your house or apartment every single day,” DeFazio said.
He says the original plan was to vacate the location at 264-266 4thStreet, but they have hired more than two dozen employees in recent years and will have 50 workers across the three locations.
About two dozen businesses have received ARPA funding through the city’s Local Development Corporation’s $1 million Community Business Investment grant program.
The new location on the corner of 4th and Hill Streets is the former home of the Vanilla Bean bakery, which closed in 2007 because of financial and health problems, and Masher’s Produce. The two buildings will soon host events and customers looking to devour Italian fare.
Taking a peek into what will be the kitchen and a walk-in cooler, DeFazio says the vision is use every inch of the building.
“We're gonna store wood up there as well and then we're going to continue to expand the kitchen into the basement that's literally this the whole length of this building,” DeFazio said.
DeFazio says the new location will house two woodfired ovens, behind a short divider next to the open-space dining room, and full-sized line and prep kitchens.
“There's potential everywhere and that's what we really want to make this our neighborhood our part of the city beautiful and a great place to live,” DeFazio said.
He says part of the building will be used for banquet space.
DeFazio says the $50,000 was used to finance repairs to the building’s facades to ensure they meet the historical society’s requirements.
Apart from the pizzeria’s Troy location, it has pop-ups at Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont and dine-in services at the Albany Distilling Company Bar.
Republican Mayor Carmella Mantello, who was council president when the funding was approved, says she is supportive of businesses looking to boost the city’s economy.
“This is all about partnerships. We hear it many times, I call it the three P's: partnership, persistence and patience,” Mantello said.
DeFazio says while the business has grown, it remains a family operation.
“That is our identity. And especially in the food industry where there's not many family-owned restaurants period in the country, that number declines every single year. It's certainly declines when it goes second generation,” DeFazio said. “Declines when it goes third generation, almost down to I think less than 5 percent. And I don't think there's any stats on fourth generation owned restaurants.”
“Is this third or fourth?”
“This is third. So now that I have three children, if it could ever get to that great, you know, but even if it doesn't, we know that we've already accomplished something that we basically have a less than 5 percent chance of doing.”
Defazio says while there isn’t a scheduled opening date, he hopes to expand the cuisine’s reach soon, bridging the gap between the booming downtown and South Troy.
