As far as family heritage goes, Italian roots run pretty deep. We’re built on family tradition, loyalty, love, good food, and hard work.These foundational themes were present all throughout my childhood and their value was ever-present as I raised my own daughter and taught her all the things that the generations before had bestowed on me.

A significant piece of Italian culture is (you guessed it)— food. If you ever get the chance to share a meal with an authentic Italian family, I highly recommend it. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

So many of my childhood memories include food; whether at my grandparents’ pizzeria, at my own family’s dinner table, or with the locals and neighbors who frequented our family restaurant.

Food has a magical way of bonding people, bringing them closer, and showing them that we aren’t all as different as we seem. I believe in my soul that is exactly what my grandfather dreamt of when opening his pizza restaurant in the 1960s—he wanted other cultures to experience the Italian delicacy in a place that felt like home. He dreamt of bringing his family’s recipes over to America and sharing in the magic, the authenticity, and the appreciation for tradition.

Pietro’s life as a coal miner in Abruzzo, Italy, was filled with hardship and little hope. He left his home in the early 1900s for America and the promise of a brighter future for himself and his family.

While immigrating presented its own trials and tribulations, Pietro was a fighter, a dreamer, who believed his heritage would carry him through even the toughest times. When he opened his pizzeria in a small town in Pennsylvania, sharing his heritage and culture was all he wanted (besides selling the best pizza in the city, of course).

And boy, did he succeed.

For 65 years, D’Arc’s Pizza in Windber, Pennsylvania has been a source of joy, good food, Italian culture, and family for everyone who steps through its doors.

Writing a book about my family’s heritage felt like a huge responsibility. I wanted to do it right and tell my grandfather’s story in a way that would accurately represent everything he faced and all that he achieved.