One of New York City’s eminent pizza chefs has died, less than a year after he was forced to rename his eponymous Queens pizzeria to settle a bitter feud with a former business partner.
Andrew Bellucci, 59, died Wednesday evening, his Astoria restaurant, Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria, announced on Instagram early Thursday.
“Rest In Peace my friend. Thank you for all the lessons you taught us about your life’s passion PIZZA,” the emotional post read.
The legendary pizza maker died suddenly of a heart attack after collapsing while making one of his famous clam pies around 7:30 p.m., his business partner told The Post Thursday afternoon.
Matthew Katakis had been in his office next door when heard what happened, ran inside the pizzeria and saw Bellucci turning purple on the floor surrounded by staff, who had called 911.
He gave Bellucci chest compressions for about four to five minutes before EMS arrived and took him Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“I saw his last breath leave as I was giving him chest compressions. It was really sad,” Katakis said.
“To me, he was my mentor.”
The Astoria pie joint said it would be closed Thursday in the late owner’s honor.
As a chef and a businessman, Bellucci was known for taking the adage of getting one’s hands dirty a little too far.
After making a name for himself by revamping Lombardi’s on Spring Street in Manhattan in the early ’90s, his career was interrupted by a stint behind bars for embezzling funds from a law firm where he previously worked.
Bellucci then spent 16 years driving cabs before getting back into the slice game by sojourning to Kuala Lumpur with restaurateur Michael Helfman in 2013.
He opened Bellucci Pizza on 30th Avenue with Leo Dakmak in 2021.
One of the specialty pies, the pepperoni-loaded “Sonny Supreme,” was named in honor of his former cellmate, Colombo underboss John “Sonny” Franzese.
“I have only one goal,” he told The Post at the time.
“And it’s to become the first slice shop with a Michelin star.”
Bellucci and Dakmak’s partnership was short-lived.
Within months, Bellucci broke away entirely and opened rival Bellucci’s Pizzeria just eight blocks away after joining forces with Katakis.
He changed the name of the new restaurant to Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria last summer as part of a settlement when Dakmak reportedly sued him for trademark infringement.
“We were finally at the point where we felt streamlined, ready, operating correctly and had everything working. And now, this is a tremendously tragic event. But we learned from him,” said Katakis, who gave Bellucci the “Don of Dough” nickname.
“He was a great teacher and philosopher of the dough,” he added
“That’s who he was. There was no better crusts in my opinion in New York City.”
