Casalingo Puts East Coast Twist on Old-Country Pizza

In a part of the country that takes its pizza pretty seriously, Matt Waite is cooking up something a little different.

"No one around here is making the same type of pizza," Waite said of the "Naples-style pizza with an East coast flare" he creates at . Casalingo, which means "homemade" specializes in brick oven pizza, homemade salads and sub sandwiches and opened June 18 in the back end of the

Casalingo is a tiny, walk-up pizza place. The brick oven takes up a large portion of the space and you are handed your pizza through a window. Simple outdoor seating is available. Pizzas are 14 inch and are also available by the slice; the topping selection is vast including the standards as well as prosciutto, artichokes and goat's cheese.

"This is the type of pizza I've been eating my whole adult life," said Waite of his thin crust pies.

Waite uses only top-of-the-line products and groups himself with Europeans who take their food "a lot more seriously." Casalingo's pizza base is made of only crushed tomatoes, and Waite makes his pizza dough every day, using an equation that includes the temperature of the room to ensure a consistent product.

"If my heart's not in it, I'm not in it," Waite said of his dedication to his business and product.

Prior to opening Casalingo in Oswego, Waite had an extensive and varied history in the food business. At 21, he followed an advertisement for a breakfast chef in Bermuda. He lived there for 17 years.

Waite has worked for himself for the past 20 years, focusing on both the food and construction industries. At one point, he made over 1,000 pounds of handmade noodles per day to sell to Bermuda's hotels and grocery chains.

In 2005, Waite's roofing company led him to Fernandina Beach, Florida, an hour northeast of Jacksonville. Waite opened Casalingo Pizza Artigiano in Fernandina Beach in the "fast casual" restaurant style, where customers order at the counter.  The restaurant's atmosphere was contemporary, noodles were made from scratch, pizza was made by hand and the restaurant had the look and feel of a national chain.

Casalingo did well and Waite considered opening a second location, even purchasing an expensive brick oven for the new location. Then the economy tanked and there was "no end in sight" to the downturn.

Jeff Smkal owns the Dairy Hut and is also Waite's extended family. Smkal offered Waite his back storage area to open a Casalingo in Oswego and Waite seized the opportunity, having already purchased equipment for a second store and wanting to raise his children among family and in a strong school district. Waite closed the original Casalingo in Florida and introduced the same pizza product to Oswego.

"This pizza is different than what people from around here have grown up on," Smkal said. "Everyone who has tried it thinks the pizza is fantastic. I just wish more people knew it was here."