It was April 2018, and Anthony and I had just finished working a long-ass day at my soon-to-open pizza restaurant, Folk, in Nashville. Anyone who has ever opened a restaurant knows that it’s like giving birth, getting married, and getting divorced all at the same time. We came home, showered, and lit a fire in my backyard. We were exhausted. We needed a drink.
Anthony had traveled to Nashville to crash in my guest bedroom and help us figure out what the fuck we were doing. Sauce, dough, cheese—that was covered. It’s the “How do we set ourselves up to execute consistently and quickly? How do we maintain the perfect oven floor temperature all service long? How do we get the ideal balance of extensibility and elasticity in our dough?”—that’s the other part of Falco’s genius that most people don’t see. He’s a consultant. You’re in Sao Paolo and want to do grandma pie? You’re in Mongolia and want to do Neapolitan? Call Falco. He’ll arrive; dig into the supply chain; help you source the best dairy, flour, and tomatoes; and teach you how to properly use the oven you just spent thousands of dollars on. Falco knows the restaurant world and systems so well. Having him get on a plane—as a bro—and help me was invaluable.
