Transcript for Hustle & Heat Episode 1
00:00:04
What’s up, guys? This is George from Dubz BBQ, and I’d like to welcome you to the Hustle and Heat podcast. Over the five years that I’ve been in business, you’ve seen where I started, how I’ve grown, and how this place has grown. Now it’s time to share other people’s successes and stories. I believe this is a community-based organization that we run, and I’d like to support the community all around us in Southwest Florida. So, without further ado, I’d like to welcome our first guest.
00:00:30
He is an Italian-American chef, an entrepreneur, and an influential figure in the modern pizza industry. He has won many prestigious awards in Italy and in the United States. He’s an instructor, and it is with great honor to introduce Vitangelo Recchia, owner of Bella Napoli Pizzeria in Port Charlotte, FL
Thank you for having me on your podcast. Let’s just stick with Veto.
Veto.
I butchered that. I apologize.
It’s okay.
00:01:03
Veto, it’s an honor to have you on this podcast. You are our first guest, and I really appreciate it. I love what you do at your restaurant and your whole career, and I’d like to hear about it.
Awesome, man. Where do you want to start?
You tell us—where did you start in the culinary industry?
Well, at five years old, my dad threw me a dough ball and said, “Roll the dough.” I didn’t really know what to do with it, but to me, it was getting my feet wet in the industry at five years old. As I got older, I was busy with sports and school. I never wanted to make pizza.
That’s usually how it goes. I never wanted to make pizza, and I never wanted to own a restaurant.
And look where we’re at.
I used to laugh when customers told me I’d do it one day.
00:01:57
I don’t think we know our heads from our asses when we’re 10, 15, 20, or 25 years old.
No. I started working at 12, went to college, and after four years I realized I didn’t like it.
College taught me what not to do.
It taught me organization and numbers, but that was about it. Everything else wasn’t for me.
It’s funny how things come full circle.
00:02:24
I went to school for hospitality management to work in hotels. I told everyone I wanted to own hotels one day. I went to Penn State University, graduated, worked in Times Square in New York City, and didn’t like it. I moved to Florida and worked for Ferrari in Fort Lauderdale in services and warranties. That took about three years before something pulled me back to Italy and back to food.
00:03:32
That’s what led me to culinary school in Europe. I didn’t want to study Italian cuisine in America. I wanted to learn fine dining Italian cuisine at its source. I went to Italy, found the school I wanted, and was accepted to Alma in Parma. It started in New York and transitioned to Parma. I met incredible people and chefs doing things that blew my mind.
00:04:03
They were cooking from the inside out using metal rods so the meat stayed moist and the skin crisped perfectly. A 14-pound turkey was completely deboned but still looked fully formed. That’s what really pulled out my culinary side.
00:05:42
Culinary school started in October and finished in June, but I stayed in Italy for about a year and a half.
Would you say that was a highlight of your career?
Absolutely. That’s what started everything.
00:06:10
I grew up in a house of immigrants. Both my parents came from Italy in the 70s and met in Brooklyn in the 80s. They were from the same region but didn’t know each other. My dad learned to make pizza in America. Anywhere they could go to make money, they went.
00:06:43
I worked seven days a week in Italy. That year and a half changed everything. I wanted to open a Michelin-style restaurant. But after a year or two, you realize how expensive that world is. Who eats at Michelin-star restaurants every day? Very rich people.
00:07:56
Restaurants are extremely expensive to operate. Costs never go down. Season or off-season, expenses stay the same or increase.
00:08:23
Distributors don’t make it easy for operators. Pricing is inconsistent, and products pass through too many hands. If you could buy directly from farms and get the true cost, it would be better.
00:09:51
Italian flour costs half as much in Italy as it does here. It’s clean, unbleached, unbromated, with no fillers or additives. You have to actually understand your flour to use it properly.
00:10:48
Flour strength, fermentation time, and gluten structure all matter. These are things most people don’t understand, and that’s why there’s a big difference between following a recipe and being a professional.
00:12:20
I will never lower my standards. I built this business on quality. Prime brisket, fresh product, homemade sides, cured and smoked bacon—everything from scratch.
00:14:48
Everyone’s hands are different, and hands are what make food.
00:17:25
Food understands love. Customers can tell when food is made with care versus when it’s rushed. We start prep at 4:00 a.m. and sometimes don’t finish until late at night.
00:19:10
We’re not millionaires. There’s no chain keeping anyone here. But if you want something, you have to work for it. Do the best job you can every day and be one percent better.
00:21:22
Working in your restaurant is different from working on your restaurant. You can’t do both at the same time.
00:22:23
Respect the product. At one point, it was living. That’s something I learned in culinary school and something people don’t always think about.
00:26:10
We’re all human. We work long weeks and do our best. Quality matters, but perfection doesn’t exist.
00:27:00
One-star reviews hurt more than people realize. If there’s a problem, talk to us. Give us the chance to fix it.
00:28:22
I’ve been asked to teach Roman-style pizza in Washington, D.C., and to do demos internationally. Teaching gives people insight into what I do without pretending there’s only one right way.
00:29:59
If you’re going to run a business, you need people you trust. No one will ever care as much as the owner does.
00:32:43
If someone handed me millions tomorrow, I’d take care of my employees and my family. Money isn’t the measure of success—building something meaningful is.
00:36:31
Insurance doesn’t always protect businesses the way people think. We’ve been through multiple hurricanes, and it’s not easy to recover.
00:38:23
For anyone starting a business: go work for someone first. Learn the trade. Trade school is valuable.
00:38:51
What separates this place from the rest? You’ll have to come see for yourself.
00:39:16
Thanks for watching. We’ll be posting a new podcast every week. Please like, comment, and share. We’re out.
