Tony’s Back! Marketplace Gets a Slice House
Tony Gemignani
Eleven years ago, Tony Gemignani and his brother Frank closed the popular Pyzano’s Pizzeria on East Castro Valley Boulevard.
But now Tony is back and opening a Slice House location at the Marketplace early next year.
The popular franchise serves 20-inch pizzas, signature slices (Sicilian, Grandma, and Detroit styles), salads, and pasta with wine and beer on tap available. The restaurant will occupy the northeast corner of the first floor, previously the Cannery Kitchen & Tap site. The pizzeria will offer indoor and outdoor dining options, delivery, and catering.
“It’s great to come back to Castro Valley,” Gemignani told the Forum. “I was at the Marketplace for about an hour checking on the kitchen design, and it felt really good. Several people came up and said hello, and one guy shouted out, ‘Hey Pyzano’s! How are you doing?’”
After high school, Gemignani made a name for himself by spinning pie dough at Pyzano’s, for which he has several Guinness Book of World Records awards. His real impact, however, has been what he calls “respect the craft” of pizza making. Gemignani has 13 world titles in pizza making, has opened 30 different restaurants, including his Napoletana site in San Francisco’s Little Italy, and sells his signature slices at Oracle Park, Levi Stadium, Allegiant Stadium, and the newly opened Sphere in Las Vegas. In addition to the Slice House locations in Walnut Creek, Belmont, and San Leandro, he has plans for 50 more Slice House locations, including Castro Valley, Simi Valley, Folsom, and Mountain View.
“Castro Valley’s Slice House will have a similar look and feel to our site in Walnut Creek,” Gemignani said. “I used to live on Redwood Road, and what I like about the Daughtry building is that it is so centralized. I knew the location was important if I were a part of coming back to Castro Valley.”
Gemignani will be spending more time in town as he personally designs each kitchen for his restaurants. He will also be there for training and plans to be at the ribbon cutting.
“We’re targeting opening early next year because the kitchen needs to be expanded slightly, and there are some modifications to that I want to do,” he said.
Among his non-restaurant projects, Gemignani said he is currently collaborating with other chefs on a pizza cookbook, complete with recipes. His 2014 book, "The Pizza Bible," is still a best-seller.
As for taking advantage of the Marketplace space, Gemignani said he would be open to large events and teaching pizza making, which, as the first certified Master Instructor and founder of the International School of Pizza, could put Castro Valley back on the pizza map.