OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — An Omaha native makes it big in the Big Apple. He has not two, not four - but five successful pizzerias in New York. Now he's bringing his popular pizza pies back to his hometown.
Williamsburg Pizza opened May 30th — and so far, so good. 3 News Now Anchor Serese Cole checks it out in this week's Cheap Eats.
The sign outside Williamsburg Pizza says — it's "How pizza should be."
"We're just trying to bridge old-school pizza recipes with new-school culinary twists," explained owner Aaron McCann.
Aaron knows a thing or two about pizza.
"My first job was at Home Team Pizza when I was 15," he recalled.
Serese: Where was that?
Aaron: 30th and Farnam
Serese: How does an Omaha boy go to New York where pizza is king and start a pizza parlor?
"I mean some of it was luck," Aaron admitted.
He found the perfect location.
"The part of Williamsburg that I have lived in since 2001, you would have to walk six blocks in any direction to get a slice of pizza," he explained.
Then he found the perfect chef. Nino Coniglio specializes in pizza perfection.
"He's won competitions in Italy, France, Vegas, and New York. I mean he took (the show) Chopped's "Best Pizza Maker" episode — so finding him is where I got lucky" he said.
The word quickly got out about their pizza.
"A couple of weeks after opening, we got written up in the New York Times that was pretty wild. One of their food writers instantly called us one of the best five pizzerias in New York," he shared.
Now he's bringing that New York flavor home.
Matt Hodges is the co-owner here.
He says the garlic knots are one of their most popular appetizers.
"They're basically like a big cinnamon roll, but with all the garlic oil and cheese and all that goodness on there," Matt grinned.
They make about 300 a day.
But at this restaurant, it's the pizza that's supreme.
Their secret is the crust.
"This is a world-class recipe. There's a lot of time and energy that goes into the curation of the ingredients," Matt shared. "Growing up as a kid, I'd eat the middle and throw away the crust, but this (pizza) - I'm eating it all."
The first pizza he showed me was the Bianco. It's a white, cheese-based pie.
Matt walked me through the process.
"We're going to start Pecorino Romano, then we're going to do a swirl of our extra virgin olive oil, then we're going to put some fresh mozzarella on this guy," he detailed. Then we got to add our aged mozzarella."
Once it's baked, some final touches — a few dollops of ricotta and extra virgin oil.
The Paesano is the crowd favorite. It starts with a colorful combination of fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, and red peppers. Then comes the cremini mushrooms and local Italian sausage. Once it's out of the oven, it's topped with basil, Grana Padano and extra virgin olive oil.
The Tartufo is loaded with cheese, then packed with those cremini mushrooms. The mushrooms are the prize of this pizza. The surprise comes after it's baked — an aromatic douse of white truffle oil.
"I know people who straight up don't like mushrooms that love this pizza," Aaron said.
Serese: How do you choose a favorite?
Matt: The one you're eating is your favorite.
As for the sides, the meatballs at Williamsburg are called life-changing.
"A lot of employees say my grandpas were the best until I had these," Pat Hodges said.
Customers apparently agree about the meatballs and the pizza.
"We're outselling the ones (restaurants) in New York," Aaron shared. "So, it's just been bananas," he laughed.
Heads up, you can't just get a "slice" of pizza at the Omaha location. It's a whole pie or no pie.
Williamsburg Pizza is at 16869 Audrey Street near 168th and Harrison. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The pizza is in two sizes — medium and large. Some pies come with the Brooklyn Round Crust others come with the Grandma Square Crust.
To see the full menu and prices, go to williamsburgpizza.com.
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