Imagine quitting a 9-5 job on Wall Street where the money was never ending to own a pizzeria. Well, that is exactly what Pelham Parkway resident Jack Anello recently did.
On Aug. 27, Anello and his two brothers, Stefano and Anthony, opened The Alley Pizza Lounge at 3209 Westchester Ave. in Pelham Bay. This was formerly the home of Giovanni’s, which shuttered in April 2020 after 40 years in business.
With a welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious pasta and honey pepperoni and bacon and sauerkraut Neapolitan pizzas, the place is slowly becoming known in the neighborhood.
“As soon as we started serving people word started spreading quickly and we started getting busy,” Jack told the Bronx Times. “I’m excited to see how many people we can reach. I describe us as a really great, family friendly, fun, modern community restaurant.”
While this is the brothers’ first restaurant, their family has deep roots in the business. Their grandfather Jack Anello had pizzerias in Italy and the Bronx, while their dad, Steve, owned Mambo Italiano on Morris Park Avenue, in Morris Park from 2010 to 2015.
“We have generations of pizza men,” Jack said.
At Mambo Italiano, Jack and Stefano were first introduced to the business. Jack loved being at the eatery and on the weekends was the pizza man.
Not long after it shuttered, Jack got into finance and Stefano joined his father and fiancé, Patricia Booth, in real estate. Jack worked at J.P. Morgan for six years, but after a while grew tired of the rat race.
The pandemic really was the last straw, he told the Bronx Times.
“It was during the time of COVID-19 that things were getting super stressful in the business world,” Jack said. “Things were changing, and we were both looking for something new to get out of the day-to-day grind. The money was great, but sometimes it’s not worth it. We both decided to get out of our 9 to 5 jobs and get into something 24/7.”
Stefano enjoyed real estate, but deep down always had a passion for cooking. Growing up, his mom Aurora Anello and grandmother Tina Anello, made lots of delicious food and it was always something he enjoyed about his family.
Every Sunday the family had dinner together where there was sausage, meatballs, chicken parm and much more.
“When Jack first told me about the restaurant I kind of knew Jack would be in the front and I would be in the back,” Stefano said.
When Jack sought to exit Wall Street, he initially had different plans before deciding on the pizzeria.
Jack’s initial plan was to get into e-commerce selling fitness equipment and or move to Florida and set up Airbnb rentals with a few friends. Shortly before he was set to relocate to the Sunshine State, his dad told him about a vacant property at the old Giovanni’s in Pelham Bay. Jack grabbed the bull by the horns and rest is history.
Jack spoke with his brothers, and everyone was on board.
“I had a little bit of experience in the business and an amazing recipe for the pizza dough,” Jack said. “I saw an opportunity to bring a great product to the local people.”
With the pizza and business knowledge from their dad and grandfather, they were ready to take a leap of faith. Stefano kept doing real estate, while Jack was all in on the restaurant.
His grandpa taught him how to make pizza, dough and much more. However, Jack still wanted to learn more. So, he reached out to a close family friend, a Michelin star chef, Benedetto “Ben” Palazzolo, for advice.
Jack spent a week in the suburbs of Michigan with Palazzolo, where they made about 300 pizza pies and worked nonstop. Jack brought many of those recipes back with him to the Bronx. He said learning from Palazzolo is something he will never forget.
“It was like hanging out with a brother,” Jack said. “We literally just woke up and started making dough.”
With recipes from his dad, grandfather and Palazzolo, Jack was ready to make his mark in the pizza world.
Jack was now ready to build the Alley. While he had no experience in design or construction, he worked hard and watched tutorials on YouTube. He gutted the place and spent a year with contractors—while cutting through bureaucratic red tape—and opened The Alley Pizza Lounge.
During the renovations Jack observed how there was brick under the sheetrock on both walls, which resembled a NYC alley, which inspired the name Alley Pizza Lounge. When it was finally complete it was like a labor of love, Jack said.
“I did my research and the biggest contractor in this place was YouTube,” Jack said. “It’s really just a casual hangout place where I want people to feel comfortable and get cappuccinos, zeppoles and pizza. I feel like this neighborhood was kind of starving for a good pizza place.”
Jack manages the front of the house and Stefano mans the kitchen. While Jack rolls the dough each night until midnight or 1 a.m., he and Stefano are a team. Their goal is to provide Neapolitan pizzas that other eateries do not offer.
The Alley is slowly becoming known for its margherita pies with fresh basil that is grown onsite, honey pepperoni pizza and black and white pies with fresh mushrooms, garlic and balsamic.
“We didn’t want to do the basic style,” Stefano said. “We wanted to try to be a little more exotic. So, we tried to find these different combinations. One we found to be popular is the bacon sauerkraut.”
Open for nearly a month, the brothers said it still has not sunk in they own a restaurant. With Efren, Mateo and Josue in the kitchen, a great wait staff and Booth manning the bar, the Alley is ready for success, Stefano said. Anthony serves as a silent partner and their dad, Steve, is often there to help as well.
The Alley can seat 60 people in the front and boasts a private party room in the back for 25 people. While some people say never go into business with family, Jack and Stefano love working together.
“People tell me all the time the worst thing to do is work with family,” Stefano said. “We are super close. I consider my brothers like my best friends. We’re a really different kind of family.”
The brothers told the Bronx Times while they never envisioned owning a restaurant, they cannot fathom doing anything else.
“I love cooking and handling the food,” Stefano said. “We want every pizza, pasta and appetizer to come out perfect.”
“Nobody wants to work at something for 30 years they don’t absolutely love,” Jack said. “I feel like I can see myself doing this for the next 25 to 30 years. We didn’t do this for the status or income. This is really because we have a passion for it. We really enjoy bringing a great product to the people.”
