Goodfella's Staten Island-Thank you Staten Island for Allowing us to Serve You for 22 Years

3 Time World Champion Pizza Men thank the Staten Island New York community for allowing them to be of Service for 22 Years

Goodfella’s Brick Oven Pizza of Staten New York is celebrating 22 year of service to the people of New York at their original location on Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island. Founded by former NYPD sergeant Marc Cosentino and his brother Scot with native Staten Islander Andrew Scudera an Eagle Scout and partner, the men have put the amazing amount of press, news articles, TV, magazine and radio interviews to good use with the unyielding support of a loyal customers. “ Our philosophy of treating everyone like family and helping whenever possible has helped form an army of volunteers and moreover helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for people in need and community groups” said Andrew Scudera. One of the more recent events was Hurricane Sandy and their response despite suffering tens of thousands of dollars in equipment and supply losses. “We were flooded and without power for over a week but we got it under control, began the clean with help from our friends and started using our wood fired brick oven to cook for our neighbors while we recovered ourselves”. What did that equate to? Facebook requests and calls for donations to get a tractor trailer set up in the parking lot with supplies, volunteers flooding in from around the country, NYPD and NYFD first responders, teachers, housewives, contractors, students, religious groups, veterans and family members amounting to hundreds strong including the former head of the NYC Detectives Union and a Marine Captain just back from Afghanistan running logistics. “Seeing the desperate state of my friends and customers who were literally left with the shirt on their backs was motivation to work for up to 18 hours a day for months coordinating and aligning efforts between the Mayors office, Red Cross, Churches, VFW, Bikers, Occupy Wall Street( changed to Occupy Sandy), NYPD, Tunnel to Towers, Gyon Rescue, The Marine Corp League and countless people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes despite personal hardships” said Marc Cosentino. “Us Foods dropped off a trailer of ingredients to get things rolling when supply lines were cut, local cops and business men brought food and supplies to donate, the International Association of Scientologists gave us a $30,000 dollar donation to help feed and house the out of town volunteers and provide supplies, the Pentecostal church run by a former New York City Transit Captain became another storage and distribution center along with setting up sleeping quarters for the ever growing group of out of state volunteers, housewives with their infants in car seats were preparing meals and going house to house in the cold and dark to feed the hungry. The Marine Corp League brought out a monster truck and set up a huge supply tent to receive and distribute food and supplies. The volunteers were working without complaint under very tough conditions gutting houses and running supplies day and night. Many times the overwhelming humanity of it all was hard to bear” added Scot. But they were no strangers to making it go right despite the horrendous situation. 911 was a big wake up call, the country was attacked and Goodfella’s went to work 24 hours a day the first weeks running food up to ground zero and supplying food daily to workers at the Staten Island dump going through the debris, despite a drastic cut in business and no financial support resulting in tremendous financial stress later on down the line for months to come. “The money didn’t matter when your friends and co-workers have been murdered and the only way you can help is cook. We started to see the return from our customers and friends that would stop by to thank us and just be part of the effort. It takes a lot of people to coordinate and deliver that amount of food besides the time involved to get to these locations” said Marc. Goodfella’s provided a place to “arrest people” and hold the customers hostage handcuffed to the chairs to raise $10,000 for the Jerry Lewis Muscular dystrophy foundation. They catered the Presidential Yacht in DC to help raise money for the 911 fund. Not only that but Goodfella’s has done fund raising for dine out for hunger, toy drives with United States Marines, hosted autistic children each week making pizza boxes for therapy, donated to bazaars, charity drives, local churches, schools, bowling teams, little league and even arranged to give away 1000 slices of pizza and 1000 cokes at the Staten Island Ferry as a thank you to the people of Staten Island-sadly after all the TV, radio and newspaper coverage announcing the free pizza the ferry crashed with catastrophic results. Goodfella’s gave all the food to rescue workers responding to the scene. The care and help they provide is evident in any one act but when you add up the week in and week out donations to local events, food prep for charities and kids over the last 22 years, the amount of help is staggering. “The message is thank you to all our customers who have been unsung heroes behind the scenes, none of this could happen without you and every little act ads up and helps someone.” Andrew said with a note of encouragement. Please share this be sure to stop by the original Goodfella’s on Hylan Boulevard when you are in town.

Slice Out Hunger is a Fast Casual Pizza Party Success For the NY Food Bank

Pizza places from all over New York City and surrounding areas came together for a fantastic night of fun and eating to raise money for the New York City Food Bank. The yearly event is called Slice Out Hunger and was founded by Scott Wiener to incorporate his love of pizza with a fun way to provide meals for the New York Food Bank. This years event was attended by a whose who of New York Pizza from the world renowned Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza of Staten Island to new comers such as Pizzetteria Brunetti, Table 87 and even Tony Boloney's from Jersey were on hand along with about 50 other restaurants to make this fund raiser a fantastic dough raising event. Lines formed early and went for blocks around the event hall in SOHO and were responsible for donating enough to provide 150,000 meals to those in need. "I have never seen so many happy New Yorkers  in one place" said Marc Cosentino of the New York Brick Oven Co.

How to Stretch Pizza Dough

Pizza Stretching!

How to stretch a pizza dough is a fantastic introduction to making pizza by the New York Pizza School

Fast Casual Comes to New Jersey with a Twist

Papa Poncho of Edison New Jersey has just opened it's doors to rave reviews from from the pizza eating community. This is evident by the lines of new patrons and the number of pizza's flying out of their "Revolving Brick Oven". That's the new twist and the center of the operation- a revolving brick oven which brings new meaning to the term Fast casual.

Revolving Brick Oven

No doubt it's a sure winner, especially with guidance from Andrew Scudera of the World Champion Goodfella's Pizza School of New York and design hints from Scot Cosentino of the New York brick Oven Company. If your over in Edison New Jersey check it out. 

The Bronx is Burning! New York Brick oven Company Brings Inferno to the Bronx

The Bronx is Burning! View this email in your browser

New Revolving Brick Oven Installed at "The Bronx is Burning" in NYC NYC Fireman installs New York Brick Oven Company's Revolving Brick Oven The soon to open Pizza Place will be featuring the Inferno Series oven to handle expected demand. Talk in the big apple is centered around the controversially named eatery which has been under fire since  putting it's hat in the ring with a name that is still a sore spot with local politicians who remember the term from the hostile environment of the Bronx during the 1970'S. But as soon as the doors open and the pizza starts flying all complaints will fall by the wayside and pizza harmony will prevail. Stay tuned for more data and the opening date.

The New York Yankee Pizza. Battle for the pizza of a city.

Why All Fast Casual Pizza Makers Should Attend Pizza Expo

For guys like us, it's all about the experience, the sights, the sounds, the excitement, the food and most importantly-the people. Where else do you get the chance to meet people from all over the world who share the same passion as you. In my years of attending I have made friends from every corner of earth involved in all aspects of the pizza industry. From the top dogs running multi-million dollar franchises to people from small towns in areas I have never heard of let alone find on a map. I have even met people from my home town and old neighborhood at the show. A chance to get away from the daily routine and stress with the ability to get an exterior view of your pizza and concept is valuable. Input from different people making a variety of pizza is fun and stimulating. Seeing the latest developments in the industry such as our Revolving Brick Ovens is priceless because it can prevent you from making costly mistakes due to lack of information and being in the dark because your head is buried int your business. Look for part 2 and why should compete in pizza contests and the incredible $$$ return on investment. Marc Cosentino

Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza Celebrates 21 Years of Service

Co-founders Scot and Marc Cosentino in Front of the Original Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza

Partners Andrew Scudera and Scot Cosentino pose with an award winning pizza

Who knew those crazy Cosentino boys would still be in the pizza game after all these years, especially after opening in the countries highest Italian American populated area of Staten Island New York. The only goal of the time was just making a good pizza. They started off with the first brick oven in the borough and a dream of working together as a family. Fresh hand made ingredients like oven roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella set them apart in what may have been the first Fast Casual Gourmet Pizza place, with lines out the door daily and people coming from all over the world to try their trend setting Vodka Pie creation which soon became a national fad and is now a staple on menus across the country. The secret was really caring about the customers and making sure each pizza was cooked to perfection even though the constant demand made it hard to be the fastest at times. "We are doing the best we can, this  isn't Mcdonalds" could be heard from the staff on a Friday night even with 2 brick ovens going full force. "The customers are the unsung heroes, they were always understanding and supportive and spread the word like wild fire knowing their recommendation would always be appreciated by friends and family trying the pizza for the first time. Many have become close friends over the years celebrating important events from engagements, weddings, births, baptisms, first days of school and then college to starting the whole cycle again with the new generation. It's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life" said Marc Cosentino in reflection. "Then there is the hundreds of incredible employees over the years who have contributed tremendously to making Goodfella's the place it is" said Scot Cosentino. "We have had successful chefs, managers, artists, actors, doctors, police officers, soldiers, teachers, writers, firemen, reverends,  and all kinds of business owners work with us on the way up and contribute to our success" said Andrew Scudera, who went from Eagle Scout/bus boy to working every position in the restaurant and ultimately becoming a partner and the Lead Instructor of the Goodfella's Pizza School of New York , not to mention his winning the World's Best Pizza Title. "One of the best compliments I ever received was in the wake of 911 when a regular customer came over to me smiled and thanked me for being here and said ' I don't know why but I stop by here every night on my way home from Manhattan and it just makes me feel better' said Scot thinking about the past 21 years. The fellas are looking forward to the next 21 years and thank each of the people who supported them through thick and thin for making them a great American Success Story. Visit them at 1718 Hylan Blvd. Staten Island New York and share your story. Best wishes and Happy Pizza!

The Original Fast Casual Pizza: Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza Staten Island New Yok

Marc and Scot Cosentino with Goodfella's Captain America Mustang

Marc's Previous Job and Cover of his Book

Back in 1992 the Cosentino brothers opened what many industry experts consider to be the first fast casual brick oven pizza restaurant in America taking New York Pizza to a new level. New York had a handful of brick ovens pizza places at the time with fresh mozzarella but none were featuring fresh gourmet toppings cooked at blazing speed in a wood burning brick oven. Within the first year of operation they were winning titles in New York and across the country while garnering unheard of press coverage for the new kids on the block. The "Vodka Pie" which won the World's Best Pizza title soon became a national trend and their signature pie. With high aspirations and incredible drive they soon had 8 locations in the tri-state area and eventually were opening  locations across the country as far away as Puerto Rico. For most this would have been enough but they then added the Pizza School of New York  which has taught pizza students from all corners of the world, including New Zealand, the art of making great pizza. As they opened pizza shops and taught pizza makers, the demand for ovens grew so they soon took over the choirs of building their own custom brick ovens to ensure quality, which lead to them founding the New York Brick Oven Company. The Inferno Series Revolving Brick Ovens are becoming the Industry Standard for fast casual concepts due to the consistent cooking temperature, product and ease of use. The boys are never ones to rest and recently swept the media with FORKGATE which is the first international pizza scandal for the new Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio who made the fatal error of using a fork to eat his pizza. "We only started this business because we love pizza and wanted to work together, who knew it get this crazy" said Scot Cosentino who added "only in America".

The Infamous Fork to be auctioned for charity.

Andrew Scudera Winning International Pizza Expo

Scot Cosentino with the "Vodka Pie"

Pizza Cop Bags Evidence from de Blasio's Forkgate

Marc Cosentino on Patrol in the 120 precinct circa 1988

Former NYPD  Sergeant Marc Cosentino went from police patrol to pizza patrol after founding the World Famous Goodfella's Brick oven Pizza on Staten Island New York with his Brother Scot. His former training cam in handy when he thought  to safeguard the central exhibit from the Forkgate scandal in New York City.

Cosentino arresting Leonardo Di Caprio on the Wolf of Wall Street

No stanger to the spot light, having been a co-star on the TV show NYPD Blue, winning the coveted International Best Pizza Award along several times with his brother Scot Cosentino and his partner Andrew Scudera of Goodfella's, they are always looking for ways to help fund good causes and his police background is a natural for things like the time they raised $10,000 dollars for the Jerry Lewis Telethon by handcuffing would be donors to the chairs at Goodfella's till they got "bailed out" by  friends and family. "This fork auction should help raise awareness and funds for the families that are still recovering from Hurricane Sandy and the The Tunnel 2 Towers Foundation which is still doing great work on the relief" said Scot Cosentino. Andrew added " who knew it would get this big and it's a fun way to help".

Infamous fork vouchered in evidence bag at Goodfella's Pizza on Hylan Blvd.

As Mayor de Blasio recently said "I'm glad they're using this opportunity for a good cause and it's  all in good fun". So spread the word that the fork is available for inspection at the Original Goodfella's on Hylan Boulevard and the bids are starting to come in, with first $1000 bid  made by the New York Brick Oven Company since the famous pizza was cooked in their Inferno series revolving brick oven. Happy Pizza to you!

Scot Cosentino and Andrew Scudera of thePizza School New York

New York Brick Oven Company Implicated in Fork-Gate with Mayor de Blasio

The New York Brick Oven Company is responsible for cooking the incredible Smoking Goodfella pizza at the heart of the now international pizza scandal known as Fork-gate. The owners of the New York Brick of Company and founders of Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza, Marc and Scot Cosentino, had no idea of what they were about to cook up around the world when they were asked to prepare a smoked mozzarella pizza by Mayor de Blasio of New York City. The Mayor had heard of the famous Cosentino brothers pizza creations and when he learned they had smoked mozzarella on the menu, he asked Marc to make him a pie in his now industry leading revolving deck brick oven. No strangers to preparing pizza for New York City Mayors the brothers called on pizza partner Andrew Scudera  who holds "World's Best Pizza" title from the International Pizza Expo and runs the Goodfella's Pizza School of New York to help. With this kind of experience and passion for pizza it's no wonder these guys came up with a fantastic pizza prepared to perfection for the new Mayor. Everything was was moving along splendidly with smiles and laughs as de Blasio enjoyed his pizza until controversy hit. One of the throngs of reporters jammed into Goodfella's for the pizza summit noticed the Mayor eating pizza with a fork which was intentionally being ignored by the majority of Italian Americans in attendance. Somehow the now "Infamous Fork" became the center of the conversation and became the lead story for all the major news stations and became a top twitter story with Mayor tweeting about it himself.
"Cooking the best ingredients with the world's best pizza makers in the industries best oven can only lead to success" said Marc Cosentino (a former sergeant NYPD) who through habit, promptly placed that fork in an evidence bag and "vouchered it" for safe keeping and a future fund raiser with the Mayor.

It is the year of the Pizza according to MTV

As evidenced by a recent article by MTV proclaiming "Why Pizza Is Totally having a moment right now" you can see that the media is finally catching on. Those of us in the industry have known for years that the lowly pizza is coming of age. From the cover of GQ to Fortune 500 and even articles on Goodfella's Pizza in the Wall Street Journal the word is getting out that pizza is big business. When pop stars like Beyonce'

are wearing pizza clothing and Lady Ga Ga has a Pizza made in her own image

it's getting wild. 350 slices per second, billions of dollars in sales, gourmet pizza places popping up in every city around the world and pizza schools showing would be pizziolos how to make a "Better Pie" it's no wonder that even MTV is getting on the pizza band wagon. One of the big reasons for the outburst of interest is the brick oven and the difference it makes in quality and taste of pizza. A new trend that is emerging for the fast casual pizza market is the Revolving Deck Brick Oven which makes consistency and speed a par for the course. If your interest is cooking, dough, investment, celebrity or the simple pleasure of good slice folded in half(NY pizza eating style) then the next few years are sure to please.

Pizza School for the New Year!

If you have been considering making a move to the exciting world of pizza making then you should consider training for your new career with the best. The Pizza School of New York has intensive classes designed to make you a confident pizza maker regardless if you have been making pizza for years and want a fresh approach or if your band new to the game and want to see first hand what is all about. Andrew Scudera and Scot Cosentino are International Pizza Champions  with several world titles between them and have been making pizza at the original world famous Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza of New York for over 20 years.

They will take you though all the steps from making the dough to cooking in their state of the art industry leading wood fired Revolving Deck Brick Oven. Not only that but you will get invaluable experience in an actual restaurant environment as opposed to the sterile and unreal environment of a classroom. You will be making great pizza within a couple days and be confident doing so. 

People from all over the USA and the world have taken advantage of this rare opportunity to train under true world renown pizza men right in their own place, an experience most pizza men would tell you is invaluable when your staring out and usually have to go through the school of hard knocks with less than agreeable teachers with less than agreeable knowledge, experience or products. 

Aside from the pizza aspect you'll have a chance to the brain of men who have opened successful restaurants across the country and around the world, years of hard won knowledge is at your fingertips so call and book now for the new year and may you too be rolling in the dough.

The pleasure of cooking in a Revolving Deck Brick Oven

Having cooked pizza in a conventional Brick oven for 20 years I was skeptical at first but the past couple of years are an eye opener. It is human nature to "get used to" just about any circumstance we are in and the fear of change is always powerful. When I first heard of the revolving deck oven I dismissed it as a new fad but on examination it made sense especially with the constant heat provided by gas, wood and an industry first-an electric heating element below the cooking surface. The New York Brick Oven Co.'s Inferno series Revolving Deck Brick Oven is the industry leading innovation that takes all of the pain out of operating a brick oven. Moreover it makes it simple and removes the skilled labor aspect from your bottom line. No more having to keep your pizza man's head in front of a sweltering oven, no longer having to constantly turn and shuffle your pies to avoid burning from hot spots or uneven cooking from cold spots, no longer having tie up an employee to "work" the oven.

It's now as easy as just placing your pie on the rotating cooking surface, letting it rotate a couple times around and then taking it out perfectly cooked on all sides and the bottom. "A life saver" in the word's of Andrew Scudera who is co-owner of the original world famous Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza on Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island New York and winner of several International Pizza titles. The hottest trend in the industry is one the new chains in fast casual and local gourmet pizza places are jumping on around the United States. Speed and high quality production are the watch words for these new ovens and when you add consistency and labor savings you get a combination that is hard to beat and a no-brainer for the savvy pizza operator.

Brick Ovens Steaks

Imagine if you will a full cut aged Rib Eye seared to perfection in  wood fired brick oven instantly locking in all the juices and creating an outstanding delicacy for the most picky of carnivores. Well if your lucky enough to live in the tri-state area you can go visit the original Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza located on Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island New York. Along with being the 3 time winners of the world's best pizza title they make a mean steak in their wood fired Revolving Deck Brick Oven and have a full service restaurant and bar to boot! So come on down and indulge in some of the finest Italian food around.

The Original Vodka Pizza that Became a National Trend

Back in 1993 at the Original Goodfella"s Brick Oven Pizza on Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island New York we created the "VODKA PIE" by a stroke of luck one night. My little brother Scot was enjoying some Penne Pasta with Vodka sauce and dipping some Italian bread in it when he asked " I wonder how a pizza would be with this sauce?" So off to the pizza station we went and began the test. Fantastic we thought but our customers-predominantly Italian did not agree at first. '' What is this orange stuff on the pizza?" "That doesn't look good". "What the hell is that?" and other choice phrases were used to question not only the pizza but our mental soundness. As usual we persisted with sampling and taste tests and it started catching on but once Rudy Giuliani, who was the Mayoral candidate at the time, tried it and started talking about the Vodka Pie at Goodfella's on the TV and radio it went wild! Not only that but it won the best pizza in the East and ultimately the coveted "Best Pizza in America" Wow! Then more TV from around the country and as the saying goes- the rest was history. Back in the early 90's before the internet if you can imagine, gourmet pizza cooked in a wood burning brick oven was a completly unknown animal and the term fast casual was not even coined but pizza is life and word got around so that everyone can enjoy it.

Pizza School or How to Make Pizza 101

There are over 69,000 pizza places in America not to mention the places serving pizza such as bowling alleys, delis, convenience stores and so on. This number is easily over 100,000 with at least double that number of pizza makers. That being said it is no easy feat to make it to the top the pizza industry which has fierce competition and millions in corporate backers. When a local family place gets to such a position you can bet that it took some serious hard work and know how. Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza on Hylan Boulevard in Staten Island New York is just such a place and now they are giving you the opportunity to learn how to make the World's Best Pizza. So many people from around the world were inquiring for help in making a "better pizza" that Scot Cosentino decided he would share his hard won knowledge and start the Pizza School of New York. Here you will learn pizza. All the basics, from dough to sauce to cooking in the industry leading revolving brick oven. Gooodfella's pizza school is not some sterile artificial classroom, it is hands on, real world cooking in an actual restaurant under real world conditions. You get what it takes and see how it actually works from open to close and all the needed steps to make that perfect pizza. This is a priceless experience for any one in the industry or wanting to make pizza.  

Fast Casual Gourmet Pizza Revolution

20 years ago a little place in Staten called Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza was pioneering it's gourmet pizza chain and became the David to many a Giant Chain by winning national and then international acclaim with it's award winning Vodka Pie that soon became a national trend. Never waiting for something to happen the Cosentino brothers opened restaurants across the country and started the top pizza school now training the latest generation of pizza makers from around the world. The passion for pizza runs deep and the Italian desire to build things of stone and mortar got the best of them as they began filling orders for hand built brick ovens. From their orginal 8ft. cooking surface oven(one of the biggest if not the biggest in NYC) to adding a second 5ft. oven in the original store on Hylan Blvd. they continually looked for faster and better production to keep up with the demand. They even built a brick oven in the basement of one of their places just to handle delivery and a huge double opening oven in their Brooklyn restaurant to have 2 men dedicated to working the oven at all times. The latest advancement they are bring to the table is the first revolving deck brick oven with a patented  heated floor that burns both wood and gas cooking pizza at an easily  controllable and constant temperature. This is the ideal oven for Fast Gourmet Casual Pizza which is about to take the industry by storm. The idea is to prepare an incredibly delicious gourmet pizza in couple minutes made to order with some places already having customers design their own and even assemble the pie for cooking. With many places trowing their hat into the ring it will be interesting to see who the dominant players will be in the next couple of years.  This sure to be a huge segmant in the gigantic pizza segemnet.

Fast gourmet pizza is similar to having your cake and eating it too. Best of luck to the men in the arena and let the pizza games begin.

Pizza School NY-Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza

NY Pizza School is the place to go if your serious about pizza making. This school is run by world famous pizzamen Scot Cosentino and Any Scudera who have been in the brick oven pizza business for over 20 years and have personally opened pizza shops across the country, hand built brick ovens as far away as New Zealand, taught pizza making to students from all over the world, won the World's Best Pizza at  the International Pizza Expo several times and makes sure you completly understand all aspects of pizza making. This is a step by step hands on class which ensures you know how to make the perfect pizza. You will know your dough, stretch your pizza and make your sauce with the best. From celebrities to mom and pop shops this is the place to be. Happy Pizza Making!

The Hot Rod of Pizza Ovens

The 1960's epitomized American performance and dependability. Now the New York Brick Oven Company is bringing a super high performance revolving brick oven,  with the dependability of a Chevrolet, to the market. Never before has such high production been made so simple and dependable in a brick oven. If you love your tools and equipment and depend on them for your trade then you will appreciate this. Visit www.brickovensforsale.com 

Revolving Brick Ovens