Tom was born in the Bronx and learned to make pizza in his teens and has never stopped. He learned from some of the best in NY and Boston. At the ripe old age of 24, after running several Pizzerias back East, Tom decided to follow the rest of his family to LA in 1995. Once there his older brother, Richie would show him around the city, all the while complaining about there not being any “really good” pizza around. This got Tom thinking and since they lived in Venice, before you know it, he opened the current Abbot Kinney location on St Patties Day 1995. It wasn’t long before he was needing help and within 6 months of opening, big brother Richie stepped up to the plate and the rest has been history.
Although Die Hard New Yorkers, they never really subscribed to the notion that things were set in stone and one of the greatest things about being in LA is that you can explore, experiment and be just plain crazy and the people here will at least give it a try. Where else but the great and funky Venice, California can you get away with a Bagel Crust Pizza!