Sinapi's Pizza Rustica Opens in Bedford Hills

Brick oven pizza has its roots in Italy, and so does the owner of the newest pizzeria in town. Angelo Sinapi of Katonah had the wall of his new café painted with a mural of Itri, the small city in central Italy where his father grew up. His mother taught him how to cook and inspired him to go into the restaurant business.

Sinapi opened his first pizzeria in 1984 at age 17, but said he knew long before then he wanted to cook for a living. He's owned and operated the popular Hawthorne Pizza since 1985.

"My father was a barber and an entrepreneur," he said. "I knew I wanted to follow his footsteps and own a business—but I didn't want to cut hair. Right out of high school, I opened my first pizzeria."

The new restaurant, , offers traditional brick oven pizza in familiar flavors like margherita and pepperoni. But the menu also has such unconventional flavors as philly cheesesteak and chicken, bacon and ranch—concocted by Sinapi's son, Anthony, who is following his father's footsteps into the restaurant business.

"I wanted to come up with some interesting versions you wouldn't see anywhere else," said the 18-year-old Sinapi, a 2010 John Jay High School graduate now attending Mercy College.

The cuisine is Southern Italian, said Angelo Sinapi, and they offer much more than pizza. Wrap sandwiches, hot and cold heroes, soups and salads, calzones and a range of chicken and veal dishes round out the menu.

Entreés are reasonably priced. A large pizza pie sells for $13.50; all wraps are $6.50 and the large salads range from $6.00 to $9.95, depending on the ingredients. Delivery, catering and pickup are all available.

Lynn Federbush of Bedford was there on opening day with her parents Naomi and Saul Federbush, who were visiting from Florida. Her verdict on the new shop?

"Very friendly, good service. My mother had the chicken marsala and really liked it. The food was great," she said.

The elder Sinapi said he is thrilled about owning a business locally.

"I love living here and love the whole area. It's a very diverse clientele, you get a little bit of everything," he said.

Sinapi's Pizza Rustica is located at 5 Norm Avenue in Bedford Hills, across the street from Kohl's. The hours are Mon. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Sun. 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. Online ordering will be available in the coming weeks at www.sinapispizzarustica.com.