Focus on Food
The Cornwall Local and The News of the Highlands continues its monthly series on food and beverage establishments in the area.
Name of establishment: Village Pizza
Date opened: May 1991
Owner: Gary Fiorello
Why did you get into the restaurant business? We (Fiorello used to have a business partner when he opened) just liked cooking, being Italian.
How did you get your start? We were going to buy a place in Pennsylvania but it fell through. We were driving through, on our way home back to the city, and we saw this establishment that was for rent. It was an abandonned building. We figured why not give it a shot and fix it up We liked the community. We honestly didn’t know Cornwall existed. We were just passing through and saw the “for rent” sign. We called the landlord and it all worked out. We ended up buying the building three years later.
Do you own any other restaurants? No.
How did the restaurant get its name? It’s Village Pizza since we’re in the Village of Cornwall. We figured it would be good so people would know our location. If you just say 194 Hudson St., they don’t know exactly where you’re located. But by saying Village Pizza, they know we’re in the village and not the town.
What type of food do you serve? Italian and American including hot and cold heroes, hamburgers, wraps, and gourmet and Sicilian pizza.
What is a popular item on your menu? We have a few. People love the chicken, bacon, ranch pizza. The cauliflower crust is a big hit now. It’s really taken off; we’re selling a lot. Dinnerwise, our most popular items are the chicken marsala, chicken francese, or the food of the sea.
What is your signature? Probably the chicken francese.
Why should visitors to the Hudson Valley stop at your restaurant? To get a taste of good old Brooklyn pizza. We moved up from Brooklyn and we have some good recipes. When we first moved up here it was hard because people would always say it’s hard to get good pizza. People would try the pizza and ask, “Are you from around here?” I would tell them, “No, we moved up from the city.” They’re like, “That’s why it tastes pretty good.” It’s changed now. A lot of people have good pizza, but when we first moved up here, that was the big thing.
Location: 194 Hudson St., Cornwall-on-Hudson.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Phone number: 845-534-3600.
