Roberto Caporuscio
Roberto Caporuscio began his authentic pizza-making skills straight from the source – Italy. Roberto was born and raised on a dairy farm in Pontinia, Italy where he first developed his culinary skills producing and selling cheese.
It was, however, in Napoli, the birthplace of pizza, where he went to study the art and craft of Neapolitan pizza with the most talented pizza masters.
After training with the best, he established two successful pizzerias in Pittsburgh, PA, then A Mano in Ridgewood, NJ, and ultimately in New York City in 2009 when he opened Kesté Pizza & Vino on Bleecker Street, followed by Don Antonio in Midtown in February, 2012.
Roberto has become one of the most highly praised pizza chefs amongst his peers and in the media, critically acclaimed as “#1 Pizza in New York” by New York Magazine, “Best Pizza” in New York State by Food Network Magazine and among the top 25 “Best Pizza Places in the US” by Food and Wine.
A passionate advocate of the Neapolitan Pizza Industry, Roberto serves as U.S. President of PAF Pizza Academy Foundation, the elite Italian governing body teaching the 300-year-old art of Neapolitan pizza making, and certifies adherence to authentic procedures. The pizza maestro is called upon by numerous restaurants throughout the United States, for private consultations, and conducts an intensive, ten day Neapolitan pizza-making course at which he issues APN certification to aspiring Neapolitan pizza makers/restauranteurs around the world. Currently, Roberto is the president and owner of Keste Pizza & Vino where he teaches the art of cheese making at the Fulton location’s pizza school.
The Tradition of Pizza
The blue sky. The scent of the sea. The colors of an exclusive yet inclusive world, deep hearty laughs, the cheerful chaos in the alleys resonating with life. A timeless number 10, forever in a place that is concept, form, and substance. Not easy to put down in words, definitely hard to explain.
To those who don't know it, Naples, the magical city, is a story that can be told through our Pizza: a taste that is passion. Water, flour, tomato, mozzarella, basil: our Margherita, Queen of pizzas. Alongside, all the other locally sourced ingredients of traditional cuisine, for a wide choice of pizzas created to satisfy all tastes.
The Naturalness of our Ingredients
The quality of our products makes the difference and speaks only Italian: handcrafted by tradition, to serve the unforgettable flavors of a time long gone but still alive in its enduring memories.
San Marzano tomatoes; Caciocavallo Ragusano cheese; Grana Padano cheese; Caputo flours; Extra Virgin Olive Oil; real, fresh and also smoked buffalo mozzarella; Pecorino Romano cheese. Authentic Italy on the table: top ingredients from the regional traditions of the Belpaese in a long journey of quality, all the way to your table.
The Secret of Leavening
Our pizza is different from the others because it is truly Neapolitan. Thousands of kilometers and an ocean away: magic that feels like a dream, America turning into Naples in a heartbeat. An emotion that is a journey through flavor.
Because our revolution is evolution.
Enjoying the best pizza in the comfort of your own home: just a few minutes in the oven and it's ready.
A love at first bite, to be lived with your eyes closed.
Passion for pizza and an entrepreneurial dream to follow.
From Italy to the United States: today, Roberto Caporuscio is considered the first Neapolitan pizza maker in the States
- in chronological order and also quality-wise.
In 2001, he opened his first restaurant in Pittsburgh.
But his turning point came in 2009, when Kesté landed in New York City.
A success that, in 2012, was consolidated with the opening of Don Antonio in Midtown.
An appreciated and appraised Master Pizzaiolo, he is the President of Pizza Academy Foundation (PAF).
All of these have been safe bets, thanks to the loyalty of the many customers who love his pizza.
A success appointed by critics and the international specialized press.