The motto “a team effort” never rang truer than through the evolution of Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza. Co-owner Joel Mills, originally of Staten Island, moved to Florida in 1994 to hone his skills as a maker of quality pizza & Italian dishes. In 2000 Joel and his wife Rebecca, opened Italian Gator Pizza by the Slice to feed a hungry group of University of Florida students & faculty.
This quick-service restaurant laid groundwork for Joel’s eventual 2009 collaboration with Michael & Melissa Akey and Laure Young, three extensively experienced full-service restaurateurs. Mike, Melissa & Laure’s background in fine-dining combined with Joel’s take out experience created the framework through which the flagship Piesanos restaurant in Gainesville was born. Boasting full-service dine-in, catering & an attached express take-out center, Piesanos quickly established itself as a quality dining experience offering authentic Italian meals.
In 2014, Piesanos opened it’s third location. Continued success allowed Jerry and Sabrina Roberts to come aboard, bringing considerable restaurant knowledge & a shared drive to grow the Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza brand. Today, Piesanos is comprised of 11 locations throughout Gainesville, Ocala, The Villages & Clermont, Windermere, Lake City, St. Augustine & now East Orlando.
This ambitious group of restaurateurs have maintained a recipe for success that has always stayed the same: fresh ingredients, dough made daily, finest quality Grande mozzarella, unique granite stone-fired ovens & a welcoming atmosphere. The team at Piesanos invites you to come & taste the difference!