Photo: Hana Kožušníková, Pizzeria Da Pietro
Ten years ago, Petr Soukal set out to open a business selling speciality food items imported from Italy. After the success of the store in his hometown of Plzeň, Soukal decided to open the first location of Da Pietro, a pizzeria specializing in Neapolitan style pies, in Prague. Two weeks ago, the second location of Da Pietro opened its doors in Prague’s Vinohrady district. I was curious about how this Czech native fostered such a passion for Italian cuisine, and stopped by the pizzeria to find out more.
“It was exactly ten years ago, I was deciding what I wanted to do. I already loved Italy and Italian food, so it was my idea to open a little shop with Italian foods in Plzeň. Ten years ago, I opened this shop in Plzeň, and I started to go to Italy every month to purchase products. I found my small suppliers and wine makers, and I would take things back to Plzeň.
“After two years, a friend of mine told me that I should open a pizzeria in the shop, but I really knew nothing about pizza. After some time, I thought ‘why not’, and decided we should open a Neapolitan pizzeria, because no one was making it in Plzeň at the time. My friend and I went to Naples and tried famous pizza across the area, and after two months I went to Naples to learn how to make pizza.”
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Author: Amelia Mola-Schmidt