2021 Award Honoree: Pizzeria Locale

Pizzeria Locale serves “Neighborhood Neapolitan” pizza inspired by the streets of Naples, Italy in the neighborhoods of Denver. Pizza dough is made fresh daily with only four ingredients and every crust is stretched by hand to make the perfect pizza. The arts have been part of Pizzeria Locale’s brand from Day One, including original photography from Naples by David Woody and murals by SoGnar Collective in their restaurant locations.

For over three years, Pizzeria Locale has consistently supported youth empowerment through creativity, art, poetry, and spoken word by partnering with Art from Ashes . Pizzeria Locale has supported Art from Ashes by donating pizza to the agency’s weekly on-site workshops and monthly First Friday youth workshops (both currently virtual due to COVID), in additional to financial support. Similarly, Pizzeria Locale has supported creative and economic opportunities for individuals with disabilities through Access Gallery by offering in-kind donations of pizza during their community programs.  Pizzeria Locale also commissions Access Gallery artists to make a signature artwork to display at each new restaurant site.

In 2020, during a particularly hard time for both the restaurant and arts sectors, Pizzeria Locale launched their community pizza box program. The company looked at one of their most visible assets, their pizza box, and realized it could be a powerful tool to spread awareness for their cultural and nonprofit partners.  Pizzeria Locale produces about 30-35,000 pizza boxes a month. Why not use that as a vehicle to advance the arts?!

For the month of July, Pizzeria Locale pizza boxes featured artwork by Access Gallery artist, Javier Flores, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  The compelling black and white piece was based on Picasso’s famous Guernica.  The restaurant also hosted a fundraiser for Access Gallery during their featured month.

Pizzeria Locale continued the community pizza box program with Art from Ashes in October 2020. About 33,000 pizza boxes were printed featuring a youth poem written by Ricardo (age 12) in only three minutes in an Art from Ashes Phoenix Rising workshop. They also hosted a fundraiser for the nonprofit in conjunction with National Poetry Day.

Pizzeria Locale is a shining example of how companies can “think outside the box” about how to highlight and support the arts organizations in a mutually beneficial way.

Learn more at pizzerialocale.com