Prescott Huston, a second-year in moving-image production, moves pizza from a plate to the oven at Aracri Pizzeria during his shift on Oct. 16. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Photo Editor
There’s no such thing as too much pizza, right?
Owned by Palmo and Deanne Aracri, Aracri Pizzeria opened in October, becoming the newest pizza place to open in The Gateway — University District, replacing former chain restaurant PizzaRev.
“We do homemade, easy, traditional [and] make it by hand on an 800-degree stone,” Palmo Aracri said. “It’s a simple pizza. It’s a lot of work to make the simple product.”
While there are numerous pizza options in Columbus, Palmo Aracri believes his business excels in its ability to make pizza by the slice. That way, students can be in and out quickly if they are in a rush or if they only need a quick bite and not a whole pie.
“You can be in and out of our place in five minutes, you just have to pick your toppings and let us cook the East-Coast style pizza,” Palmo Aracri said.
The Aracris have been in the pizza-making business for 35 years. Born in Italy and working in family-owned pizza restaurants since he was 16 years old, Palmo Aracri has always been in love with pizza.
While Aracri Pizzeria is new to High Street, Palmo Aracri and his wife are not new to the Columbus area. They have been the owners of Cafe Napolitana for 28 years, a popular restaurant located in downtown Columbus.
The Aracris have built their businesses on simplicity, tradition and authenticity. Palmo Aracri said he promises to bring tradition to the Ohio State community by sticking with what he knows best.
“While we understand times have changed, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” Deanne Aracri said. “Our recipe is going to be the same today, tomorrow and the next day.”
Using a recipe that has been passed down for years, the couple makes a pizza dough consisting of only six ingredients. It is made in-house throughout the day to ensure freshness.
“Nothing is outsourced,” Deanne Aracri said. “Using quality ingredients is what it’s all about. It’s very simple. There are no added preservatives.”
Firmly believing their pizza speaks for itself, the Aracris have been going so far as to give out free samples for people to experience the simplicity and freshness for themselves.
“In just this past week, I have noticed several of the people who have tried our product have come back,” Palmo Aracri said. “We can’t afford to be on TV advertising, so we like to let people try it and 99 percent of the time, it’s positive feedback.”
Aside from quality pizza, Deanne Aracri said she believes her husband’s authenticity plays a key role as well.
“He’s true to himself, true to his clientele [and] figures out what is best for them,” Deanne Aracri said. “He cares about the product, he cares about his staff and has even become good friends with some of his clients.”
A website will soon be available for more information regarding the menu and will offer a delivery option as well.
Aracri Pizzeria is located next to Five Guys on High Street. It is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday through Saturday.
