Our Story
Piesanos started the way most good things do… with a love for great food and good company.
Back in 1994, Joel Mills left Staten Island for sunny Florida, bringing with him a knack for crafting perfect pizza dough and classic Italian comfort dishes. A few years later, he and his wife Rebecca opened Italian Gator Pizza by the Slice—a tiny spot with a big following among University of Florida students and faculty.
That slice shop was just the beginning. In 2009, Joel teamed up with Michael and Melissa Akey, and Laure Young who had deep roots in the full-service restaurant world. Together, they dreamed up something new: a place where scratch-made Italian meals met laid-back Florida hospitality. That dream became the first Piesanos in Gainesville.
Word spread fast. By 2014, there were three locations, and in 2017, Jerry and Sabrina Roberts joined the family, helping grow Piesanos across Central Florida. Today, there are 15 restaurants, each one fired by the same passion that started it all.
Our secret? It’s no secret at all. Fresh ingredients. Dough and sauce made from scratch. The finest cheeses. Stone-fired ovens. And people who genuinely care about every meal they serve. That’s what keeps Piesanos special, and what keeps our guests coming back again and again.
