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Journalists newspapers and downtown Atlanta

Hyperlocal news and information in the Atlanta metro area

Atlanta Pizza Trucks made history, becoming the first mobile pizzeria to be certified by Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN), which is headquartered in Italy and provides stamps of approval for Naples pizza manufacturers around the world.

In the past, AVPN only certifies physical pizzerias that make classic Neapolitan pizzas, but Atlanta’s pizza truck owner Alessio Lacco is a native of Naples and he will not refuse to answer. His persistence paid off.

"As me from Naples, I am very picky about the types of pizzas offered to customers," Laco said. “The truck is from Italy, the oven is from Italy, and the ingredients for our Neapolitan pizza are from Italy. I asked AVPN, why can’t we contact you? Now is the time to start identifying mobile pizza manufacturers. They see the world developing and say Yes."

The certification number of Atlanta Pizza Truck is 900, and Lacco pointed out that this is the exact temperature for baking authentic Neapolitan pizza.

Lacco studied at AVPN before moving to the United States and opening his first certified pizzeria in Dallas. Before arriving in Atlanta in 2017, he was a Neapolitan pizza consultant to chefs all over the world.

Lacco lost his job as a pizza maker during the pandemic, so he and his wife and business partner Sofia Arango decided it was time to go out alone again.

They bought a vintage Piaggo ApeCar tricycle in 2019 and plan to open their own mobile pizzeria one day. They purchased a wood-burning oven and installed it on the back of the truck, installed a sink, and started to appear in the community and use social media as a marketing tool. Atlanta Pizza Truck became a hit, becoming a favorite for festivals, pop-up shops, weddings, private parties and corporate events in less than two years. "It's really popular now," Laco said. "We had a lot of parties and had a lot of fun."

Lacco said that he is proud to be able to connect his home country with the city he adopted and "bring the real Neapolitan pizza and experience to Atlanta."

Collin Kelley has been the editor of "Atlanta Intown" for 20 years and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. He is also an award-winning poet and novelist. More works by Colin Kelly