“Pizza is the great common denominator among people,” Michael Ayoub told GO Brooklyn this week. The crazy thing is, he may be right.
Sitting at a table in his award-winning Williamsburg restaurant, Fornino, Ayoub was rightfully proud to be discussing his growing pizza empire. To call Fornino, or its newborn Manhattan sibling Cronkite, a “pizzeria” is a mighty understatement. What he offers — gourmet pies with homegrown and high-end ingredients, including homemade mozzarella and three types of specialty flour — is about as far from a plain old slice as you can get.
And that’s just the way he wants it.
“When I was a kid,” he said, “a slice of Sicilian at Pizza Wagon on 86th Street [was the best in town], but that was a different time and an uneducated palate. At this point, I’m a little bit of a pizza snob.”
Growing up in Bay Ridge, Ayoub began cooking at an early age. After teenage stints working in delis and restaurants, he opened his first eatery, Skaffles, at the age of 20. While the restaurant had to hold off on a liquor license until its owner was of age, Ayoub was intent on making it a success.
“In 1977, it was the first French restaurant in Brooklyn. At the time, I was a protege of [famed chef] Claude Bailles. I used to work for him in the mornings and then come to my own restaurant at night and try out my own recipes.”
After honing his craft at Skaffles, Ayoub continued opening restaurants across Brooklyn including the BAMCafe at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Park Slope steakhouse Mike and Tony’s.
His Italian eatery, Cucina, was one of the first fine-dining establishments to open along Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.
“Cucina was the first [Brooklyn] restaurant, besides the River Cafe, to be reviewed by the New York Times,” said Ayoub. “And the River Cafe was never really considered a Brooklyn restaurant anyway.”
Cucina was awarded two stars by Brian Miller, then the Times food critic, a huge feat for an other-borough restaurant at the time.
In 2002, however, Ayoub decided that 18-hour days in the kitchen were no longer for him.
“I got to feel like I was missing some things,” he said. “My family and my kids to name a few.”
He sold his restaurants and decided to narrow his focus to one dish: pizza.
“Trying to create a restaurant with just one product is very difficult,” said Ayoub. “I’m classically trained in French and Italian, I do sushi — I had to do something that was worthy of my reputation.”
The following year, Ayoub took a lease on the old L Cafe space and opened Fornino. He purposefully chose Williamsburg because he saw a niche that needed to be filled.
“My demographic was here: a young hip crowd with a few bucks in their pockets,” said Ayoub. “There were restaurants around here that were packed and there was no pizzeria.”
The formula was a success. From the herbs grown near the back of the restaurant to the hand-blown glass above the brick oven, everything about Fornino is obviously high quality. The pies include a classic margherita; a $50 pie with black truffles; and the “Al Roker,” named for the weatherman who first ordered it, piled with fontina cheese, carmelized onions, sopressata, roasted red peppers and rosemary.
Adam Kuban, founder and editor of the popular pizza blog SliceNY, told GO Brooklyn, “The reason I really like Fornino is that [Ayoub] goes the extra mile with the cheese and herbs. He’s really putting a lot of effort and love into making the pizza.”
Late last year, Cronkite opened on the Lower East Side’s Norfolk Street, bringing Ayoub’s pizza to Manhattan for the first time. He hasn’t abandoned Brooklyn, however, and is hoping to open more restaurants soon. Right now, he has his sights on a spot in Downtown Brooklyn.
That sound you just heard is the neighborhood’s collective stomach grumbling in anticipation.
Additionally, he runs a company called Student Food, which operates the dining facilities for Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge, where he was a student. They provide the school’s 1,500 students with meals, including lots of grilled chicken, sushi and, yes, pizza.
“It’s not your typical high school cafeteria food,” said school President Salvatore Ferrera, who added that he’s a fan of the margherita pizza. “Whether it’s pasta or a Chinese dish, many of his creations are really very appetizing and very healthy.”
Indeed, whether he’s firing pies for hungry hipsters or taking on the Herculean task of feeding over a thousand teenagers, Ayoub’s always got high quality and tremendous taste on his mind. “[The pizzas] are like my children,” he said. “I love them all.”
The simple slice
Yes, we love gourmet pizza from Fornino and DiFara, too. But when we’re looking for down and dirty slices, here is where we go:
Front Street Pizza (80 Front St. at Washington Street in DUMBO) for the Buffalo Chicken slice. Yes, it sounds crazy, but believe it or not, this blue-cheese-dressing, hot sauce and chicken slice works. (718) 875-3700.
Pino’s La Forchetta (181 Seventh Ave. between First and Second streets in Park Slope) for the fresh mozzarella slice. Because it’s such a neighborhood favorite, you’re almost always guaranteed a fresh pie. (718) 965-4020.
House of Pizza and Calzone (132 Union St. between Columbia and Hicks streets in Carroll Gardens) for the calzone, silly. There’s simply no better calzone in the borough. The secret is the deep-frying. (718) 624-9107.
Totonno’s (1524 Neptune Ave. between W. 15th and W. 16th streets in Coney Island) for the coal-oven pies. Some would call it gourmet, but this is what every neighborhood pizzeria was like 70 years ago: fresh mozzarella, a magically charred crust, a real sauce. Perfection. (718) 372-8606.
Nino’s (531 Henry St. at Union Street in Cobble Hill) for the regular slice. Don’t believe us, believe the cops from the 76th Precinct around the corner. (718) 834-0863.
Papa’s (8312 Fifth Ave. in Bay Ridge) for the margherita slice. The best margherita slice in town resides here, made with great-tasting fresh plum tomatoes, basil, olive oil, mozzarella and Papa’s own special spices. So delicious, your taste buds will melt with the cheese. (718) 630-5593.
Fornino (187 Bedford Ave. between North Sixth and North Seventh streets in Williamsburg) is open Sunday through Thursday from noon until 11 pm and on Friday and Saturday from noon until midnight. For information, call (718) 384-6004.
