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New family-owned pizza shop opens in downtown Raleigh

Chef Anthony Guerra's entire life is on Person Street.

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By
Kathy Hanrahan
RALEIGH, N.C.Oakwood Pizza Box owner and chef Anthony Guerra's entire life is on Person Street.

"We live on the other side of Person Street, so I'm three quarters of a mile away," Guerra said of his proximity to the restaurant, which opened last week. "I need it to be close to the house because I knew the hours. I wanted it to be in a neighborhood where people could just walk up and grab some pizza, and this was ideal."

For Guerra, pizza is a way of life. The Long Island native has been seeking out the best pizza since childhood.

"Wherever there was a great pizza place, my dad would take us," he has said, referencing New York staples Grimaldi's and Lombardi's.

While studying history and economics at UNC Chapel Hill, Guerra's father had the idea to open a restaurant. Bella Mia opened in 2010 in Cary. Guerra made the restaurant's Neapolitan style pizzas. While there, he met chef Scott Crawford, who was working then at The Umstead.

"We just connected. We are two peas in a pod," Guerra has said of Crawford.

Oakwood Pizza Box owners Brett and Anthony Guerra and their daughter, Vivian

Bella Mia is also where Guerra met his future wife, Brett.

"My mom surprised me for my birthday and I walked into Bella Mia and saw Anthony making pizzas. That's really how it all began," Brett Guerra said, while holding the couple's 9-month-old daughter, Vivian.

Guerra's family decided to sell Bella Mia in 2013. Guerra ended up working with Crawford to open Crawford and Son, just thee doors down from what would later become Oakwood Pizza Box.

"This building became available when we were building out Crawford and Son. (Crawford) was the first person to tell me 'that was a great spot and that is exactly what you need to do,'" Guerra said.

Guerra worked as Crawford and Son's general manager while he started work on his upcoming restaurant, and his infant daughter was along for the entire process.

"She was with me throughout the entire construction process. From day one on, she was in every meeting, in every single site visit," Guerra said, while holding Vivian on his lap. "Pizza is really important to us, so we wanted to share that with her."

When the couple was getting the shop ready, the family went on a trip from Philadelphia through New York to check out pizza shops. "She has eaten a lot of good pizza and she's only 9 months old," Guerra said. "Maybe she'll be the prodigy."

Oakwood Pizza Box is a tribute to the same style of pizza Guerra grew up eating on Friday nights. He uses whole milk cheeses. "I feel like if you are going to cheat and have pizza, go the whole way and make it taste great," Guerra says.

Guerra likes to put a low moisture mozzarella cheese on the dough first. "I like the way it cooks up," he said. "When you bite the pizza, all the cheese doesn't fly off."

Oakwood Pizza Box

He then tops with sauce, more fresh mozzarella, and additional toppings like Cup and Char pepperoni. The traditional western New York-style pepperoni pops into cups when cooked. "You'll see it sort of curl up and get a little char to it. that's the way it always was. It's only until recently that people started to put chemicals into it to make it flat," Guerra said.

All ingredients are fresh. There are no freezers. "Everything we make everyday is made in the morning used at night and gone," he said.

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