Two Brothers Share Passion for Italian Food in Mohegan Lake

Pete DiNotte was just 10 years old when he began washing dishes for a pizza restaurant in the 1970s and began flipping pizza soon after. Fast-forward to a few years later, he and his brother Anthony became owners of several pizza shops in Westchester.

Now, after seizing an opportunity and having closed their previous shops, the DiNotte brothers are the owners of Anthony's Original Pizza and Pasta, located on Route 6 in Mohegan Lake.

(Their shop stands at the former cite of Angelo's Pizza & Pasta.)

They pride themselves in using only the freshest ingredients and making everything on the menu from scratch.

"Everything we sell, we make," Pete DiNotte said. "I'll buy the chicken cutlets [and prepare them]. Nothing is pre-made or pre-frozen."

DiNotte said other business owners might take the "easy way" and buy pre-cooked food they would then sell to customers. But that's something he is strongly opposed to. 

He doesn't like eating pre-frozen food and he wouldn't sell something that his own family wouldn't eat, he said. DiNotte and his brother take pride in what they do, they said, even if it means getting up a bit earlier every morning to purchase the necessary ingredients. 

"I don't see anything as a challenge," Pete DiNotte said. "This is what I do. I want to be the community's pizza shop."

The rewards they get from their work is being able to see families walk into their shop and enjoy their food. DiNotte said they not only offer quality food, but for your money you could get a good deal – an 18-inch chicken parmigiana wedge costs $7.50.

The brothers describe their pizza shop as casual and relaxed dining. A truly family-friendly place. Anthony DiNotte and his wife Susan have lived in Yorktown for 20 years and their sons Domenico, Anthony Jr. and Vincent often help at the restaurant.

"We're family," Anthony DiNotte said of working with his brother. "Nothing comes between us. There is nothing to argue about. Life is too short."

The brothers said they look forward to setting up tables outdoors in the summer and offering BBQ. They are also expecting to receive a beer and liquor license. 

Items on their menu include wedges (chicken, veal and shrimp parmigiana, sausage peppers, and more), calzones (cheese, chicken, pepperoni and sausage pepper), ravioli (cheese, spinach, butternut squash, lobster), Italian entrees (eggplant parmigiana, eggplant rollentino), poultry entrees, seafood entrees, specialty pastas, mozzarella sticks, fried calamari, hot wings, garlic bread, meatballs, as well as soups, salads and pizza. 

Anthony's Original Pizza and Pasta is located at 1805 East Main Street (Route 6) in Mohegan Lake. They are open seven days a week and offer catering, take out menu, dine in, lunch specials. For more information call 914-743-1770. 

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