Editor's note: This is a weekly Pantagraph series featuring local restaurants and bars. Know someone we should talk to? Email ojacobs@pantagraph.com.
BLOOMINGTON — The Original Pinsaria, 211 N. Veterans Parkway, Suite 5, Bloomington, is this week's pick for restaurant of the week.
Simone Stefanucci is the chief operation officer and co-owner of the restaurant, which opened in November 2020. Stefanucci was born and raised in Rome and moved to the U.S. in November 2019 with his wife Letizia.
"I believe eating at The Original Pinsaria our guests have an authentic Italian experience," Stefanucci said. "Our recipes come from our Italian mothers and grandmothers. We make our organic pasta daily at the restaurant along with our sauces. All of our ingredients are prime ingredients imported from Italy; we spent months to find the perfect combination of flavors to guarantee a real Italian experience."
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Stefanucci previously worked with the Italian government in green energy and Letizia was a dental assistant. They were looking for a change and found a Pinsa class that they attended every day for months. They eventually quit their jobs and opened a Pinsa place in Locarno, Switzerland, and then another in Palma De Mallorca, Spain.
The couple ultimately decided to bring their Pinsa to the U.S. and held several tastings in New York, Louisville, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, Las Vegas and back to Illinois, in Morton.
"This was extremely important to for us to understand the U.S. market," Steffanucci said. "When we felt ready, we decided to open our first restaurant in Bloomington. My business partner Gino Vaccaro had lived there for many years, the community is amazing and Bloomington has won several awards for being the perfect town to start a restaurant chain."
"Pinsa" comes from the Latin word "Pinsere," which means "push by hand," and comes from the ancient Roman Empire. The dough is made with non-GMO wheat, soy and rice flours. The dough is fermented for 72 hours, compared to three hours for a normal pizza, and there is 80 to 90% water in the dough, which makes it more digestible, with fewer calories and fat than a typical pizza.
The Original Pinsaria's pizza crust has won several World Pizza Championships over the years.
"My favorite part about the Pinsaria is the joy and happiness we have doing what we love," Steffanucci said.
The Pinsaria's most popular pizzas are the Brutus and the Gladiator. The Brutus is No. 5 on the menu and is a meat lover's pizza with sausage, soppressata and pancetta, and just so happens to be my personal favorite. The Gladiator is No. 7 on the menu with pancetta, pecorino romano and honey. The restaurant also offers build-your-own and customization options for their pizzas, pastas and salads.
"We have been profitable and successful since day one and we feel blessed for that, and we want to thank the community for trusting us," Stefanucci said. "I'm thankful for this opportunity to share our story and restaurant with your readers."
The Original Pinsaria is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Continuing Pantagraph coverage in the Jelani Day case
Jelani "J.J." Day, 25, was last seen on Aug. 24 entering the Beyond/Hello dispensary in Bloomington. Authorities on Sept. 23 said his body was found in the Illinois River.
Among the attendees is the Rev. Jesse Jackson. This burial comes 10 days after the family held a funeral service at Danville High School to honor the Illinois State University grad student.
Anyone with information on Jelani Day's death is asked to call 815-433-2161.
Hallie Bezner, attorney for Day’s family, also told The Pantagraph: “I think that people read between the lines to try to have some conspiracy that doesn't exist."
State law enforcement officials told The Pantagraph on Sunday that DNA backlogs did not slow down confirmation of the body found in the Illinois River last month as Jelani Day.
Teachers at Danville High School saw great potential in Jelani Day.
During Jelani Day's celebration of life, his four siblings sing a tribute backs by a community choir. READ MORE HERE.
Carmen Bolden Day says to work does not end with laying her son to rest. READ MORE HERE.
“You’re not going to forget his name because I’m not going to let you,” Carmen Bolden Day said on Saturday.
Pantagraph journalists spent last week in Danville speaking to those who knew Day, and they described him as big-hearted, hard-working and on a path to success.
“He will never be forgotten, Dr. Jelani J.J. Day,” mother Carmen Bolden Day said at the event. "They're going to remember Jelani's name forever.”
"Thank you for realizing Jelani was important, not just to us, he was important to everybody," his mother, Carmen Bolden Day, said.
BLOOMINGTON — A change.org petition asking for state and federal authorities to investigate the death of Illinois State University graduate st…
The LaSalle County Sheriff's Office announced this afternoon a person of interest sought by Peru Police has been cleared by investigators and is not a suspect in the case.
Bloomington police Officer John Fermon during a press conference discusses the search for Jelani Day, the Illinois State University student wh…
Missing ISU student identified after body found near Peru. READ MORE HERE.
A body found floating in the Illinois River in LaSalle County has been identified as that of missing Illinois State University graduate studen…
Authorities on Thursday said a body discovered in a river nearly three weeks ago has been confirmed as a graduate student missing from Illinoi…
Jelani Day, a 25-year-old graduate student at ISU, was last seen the morning of Aug. 24 walking into the Beyond / Hello in Bloomington, accord…
"We always say here, see something, hear something, know something, say something. Someone out there has seen, heard or knows something."
The president of Illinois State University during her annual address to the campus community spoke about a graduate student who has been missing.
Search continues for missing Illinois State University; fundraising totals $12,503 to support search
Graduate student Jelani Day was last seen the morning of Aug. 24.
A 25-year-old ISU graduate student remains missing. Here's what we know.
Authorities are investigating after body was recovered Saturday morning from the Illinois River near LaSalle-Peru.
"I want you to know, Jelani is not dead and we will find him," said his mother, speaking to a crowd of supporters on Friday night.
Carmen Bolden Day, mother of missing Illinois State University student Jelani Day, speaks at an event Friday night in support of the search for him.
"I just want to hear him call me and say, 'Mama, I just called you because I want to hear your voice,'" Jelani Day's mother said Wednesday.
Carmen Bolden Day, mother of Jelani Day, recounts the last phone call she had with her son prior to his disappearance. Several people gathered…
Police, family and friends continue to search for Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day after he went missing last week. He was last on video camera on Aug. 24 at the Bone Student Center on campus.
Bloomington police said Friday that officers are continuing their search for Illinois State University graduate student Jelani J.J. Day, 25, who was reported missing Wednesday by his family.
Jelani J.J. Day was reported missing Wednesday by his family and an Illinois State University faculty member.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson told The Pantagraph he expects as many as 1,000 people to attend a Friday march in Bloomington-Normal for Jelani Day, whose mysterious death has stirred national attention.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks with The Pantagraph Thursday morning about the planned march in Bloomington and Normal for Jelani Day, the Illin…
"We want to gain one thing, and that is justice for Jelani Day," said Cameron Barnes, national youth director with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.
In response to a letter sent this month by state Rep. Kambium Buckner, Peru Police Chief Robert Pyszka said that investigators with the multi-jurisdictional unit gave all files in the case of Jelani Day's death to the FBI.
ISU student Emily Escobedo talks asks for a more thorough investigation into the death of graduate student Jelani Day
The autopsy results released this week in the Jelani Day case have not changed his family’s message.
As part of the 32nd annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Carmen Bolden Day received the Profile in Courage Award during the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s virtual presentation.