Gluten-free pizza on Staten Island: Where to find the best

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Talk about temptation — it’s not easy being gluten-free in the Land of Grand Pizza. That’s why Staten Island chefs have perfected the flour- and wheat-free pie. In the meantime, these items have become respectable menu options in restaurants’ repertoires.

Now, with plenty of variety and volume in the GF pizza department, there’s call for a declaration of who is “best” in such an important category of pizza.

Thanks to dozens of regular gluten-free patrons and SILIVE.com/Staten Island Advance readers from across the borough, we’ve come up with a list that will not only come in handy for Celiac suffer-ers, but one that will promote healthy competition among restaurants that offer such options for the regimen.

But first, moms of GF tots and gluten enteropathy G.O.A.T.’s in general have a few preferences. They look for pizza cooked on a special tray to keep food off flour-dusted surfaces. And they favor their pie shells produced at a professional facility elsewhere. On that last note: we didn’t name names of dough manufacturers to protect trade secrets.

Ultimately, he trick to a delightful pie seems to be up to the knowledgeable kitchen crew behind the final product.

From bar pie to dessert pie: A guide to 21 Styles of Pizza that you should try

11.) Coal-fired — Crust sports a pleasant char and bold ash flavor, both which complement creamy and acidic toppings.

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Best of Staten Island 2023 results: Here are the top 3 places for vodka pizza as chosen by our readers

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The vodka pizza results are in!

We kicked off our latest Best of Staten Island 2023 category earlier this month, asking readers to nominate where we can find the best vodka pizza across Staten Island.

We received 50 total nominations on our Instagram and Facebook posts. And, now, the votes have been tallied.

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DoorDash picks Ungaro’s Coal Fired Pizza for its Top-20 business program – and awards $10,000

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Ungaro’s Coal Fired Pizza Cafe landed in the ranks of 20 hand-picked restaurants for DoorDash’s Accelerator for Local Restaurants program. The honor brought the Port Richmond business a $10,000 grant, courtesy of the online ordering platform.

Co-owner Kim Ungaro likened the program to a crash course in modern business and finance. She completed the eight-week program. In the meantime, she connected with fellow regional proprietors, another perk in the collective learning process.

Ungaro said, “Michael Anderson from the Chamber of Commerce was one of the ones that shared this information with me about this accelerator program. He was really the one that encouraged me but also Priscilla Marco from the Staten Island Business Outreach Center.”

She said the application process proved challenging and classes took place on Mondays, her day off. The effort was well worth it.

“All the things you needed to help a business owner — DoorDash really gave back to the community,” said Ungaro. She pointed out that pizza and food were a passion for operators like she and her husband.

“Some of us aren’t formally trained in business. They really gave specifics. It was a really nice support and a good group of people with various backgrounds. It was exciting! You had to do your homework,” Ungaro reported.

Indeed, the intensive curriculum covered topics such as marketing, access to capital, managing cash flow and menu creation, and featured local experts. DoorDash also partnered with DeliverZero to provide free environmentally friendly, reusable packaging to participating restaurants — the equivalent of up to six months of free packaging for each business. Ultimately, the aim is to transition each operation into a more sustainable future.

To celebrate, owners gathered at Hudson Community College for a ceremony earlier this month. They were joined by representatives from DoorDash, Accion Opportunity Fund, DeliverZero, The Five-Borough Chamber Alliance, and the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

A GRAND ACCOMPLISHMENT

The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce offers the Small Business Resource Network (SBRN). It is supervised by Michael Anderson. He said, “When I walked into Ungaro Coal Fired Pizza Café and met Kim, I knew she would be a great candidate. We love success stories here at the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. Attending the graduation ceremony to witness Kim and all the other restaurants get honored was a great feeling. It’s a great accomplishment for Kim and all the other recipients and something they should all be proud of.”