“Quality pizza, it starts with the dough,” says Nino Casale, co-owner of Il Paesano Pizzeria & Restaurant, one of the oldest pizzerias in Toronto. Since they purchased it in 1972, Casale has owned Il Paesano with his brother Emilio and uncles Alex and Tony. With just 1,000 square feet to work with and a seating capacity maxing out at 30 (pre-pandemic, of course), Il Paesano punches above its weight, counting Leafs personnel and figure skating stars as fans of its tasty thin-crust pizza, along with becoming a popular staple in Etobicoke. Thanks to nearby Ford Performance Centre, the Leafs’ practice facility, Il Paesano counts team president Brendan Shanahan as a frequent visitor, as well as figure skater Kurt Browning. And what has those construction workers and families and hockey players and team presidents coming back for Il Paesano pizza time and again?

Source: thestar June 13, 2021 09:00 UTC