Acunto Pizza Ovens!

The ovens are here!  They arrived this morning after a long journey that originated in Naples, Italy, took them across the Atlantic via cargo boat, and delayed them in customs in New York.  Acunto, a third generation company of oven makers, which was founded in 1892, custom built these ovens for Prato.  When Chef Brandon and Chef Matt visited Naples this past summer, they met with the Gianni Acunto, the family patriarch and were impressed with how the ovens are constructed by hand, brick by brick.

As we mentioned in our last post, our wood burning ovens, are a staple of the both the Prato design and cuisine. The square footage of the rest of the kitchen is equal to the size of these two massive ovens!  Of course, we will use the ovens for firing our delicious pizzas but their wood burning signature will be utilized in many of other dishes including fire roasted tomatoes, fresh quail and Kurobuta pork.  In fact, these two wood burning ovens are the only ovens in the whole restaurant; therefore, anything that is to be cooked in an oven will be touched with their beautiful and smoky flavor.

Also exciting, last Thursdsay night, Prato made its culinary debut at the Vibrant Rioja Street Fair.  We served the Prato Meatball, a signature dish, served over a bed of crescenza cheese-Anson Mills polenta and finished with a cherry mostardo and ricotta salata.  The attendees loved the dish and we loved being able to share our food with guests and colleagues alike for the first time!

The Acunto Authenticity Certificate

                                                               The Handmaking Process

                                    Chef Matt and Brandon with Gianni Acunto