For the love of great pizza!

Amalfi Pizza & Pasta’s second store is up and cooking

POPULAR Delacombe Town Centre late night purveyor of freshly made Italian food, Amalfi Pizza & Pasta, is celebrating the opening of its second local store.

Set for Wendouree, the new location is offering the exact same delectable menu from 5pm to 3am, seven days a week.

General manager Alessandro Capponi said the success of Amalfi’s first shop in Ballarat, as well as its many others around Victoria, comes down to the authenticity and freshness of the menu.

“We have a really, really strong kitchen,” he said. “We have a full commercial kitchen in each venue, so we’re like a combination of a restaurant and a pizza shop.”

On the Amalfi menu you’ll find pizzas divided into Classic, Gourmet and Deluxe, a selection of calzones, all the fresh made pastas you can think of, five different types of parma, plus sides, salads and desserts.

“It’s Melbourne style pizza, and all of our pasta is freshly made,” Mr Capponi explained.

“We cook the sauce especially on the spot. So it’s basically Italian style food adapted to local tastes.”

With a second local venue now up and running, Mr Capponi said Amalfi Pizza & Pasta’s short time in Ballarat has proven to be a prosperous one.

“We really love Ballarat,” he said. “When we opened the first store we had a really good feeling.

“We love that community feel, that beautiful, regional authentic feeling, which has gotten a bit lost in Melbourne.

“It’s just a great atmosphere. It’s busy, the people love our food and it’s gone really well.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of kids working with us, most of them in their first job. We work directly with job employment agencies.”

“When they start they’re a little bit scared. You know, you mould them slowly, they get some confidence and after a few months they’re just so comfortable. It’s really rewarding. It makes you smile.”

One of the things Amalfi Pizza & Pasta does differently to your average Ballarat food place is access and availability.

When most other restaurants and fast food places have closed their doors, Amalfi is there ready to serve.

“Something we also do differently to other shops is our trading hours seven days, 5pm to 3am,” Mr Capponi said.

“By opening until 3am we look after the people who are sometimes forgotten about – nurses, police who’ve just finished their late shift.

“We also get a lot of factory workers finishing off at midnight, 1am – they come to us, have a pizza and go home.

“All emergency workers – police, fire brigade, and hospital workers – we offer them a 20 per cent discount on every single order.

“We really believe in working with the community and helping the community when we can.”

Amalfi Pizza & Pasta’s new store is at 914 Howitt Street, Wendouree – 4343 1895, and the DTC location is at T13 Delacombe Town Centre, 315 Glenelg Highway – 4303 2222.

Both stores are open 5pm to 3am, seven days a week. Visit amalfipizza.com.au for more information.