[photo source: A Mano]

Neapolitan trattoria A Mano in Ridgewood, has added multi-award-winning pizza chef Michele D’Amelio to their staff as the new head pizzaiolo overseeing the Neapolitan pizza-making team.

Born in Avellino, Italy, D’Amelio played with dough his mother used to bake bread in the family’s wood-burning oven at an early age and years later at age 19, began working at a local pizzeria. In 2010 he opened a family run pizzeria, Chest’é Pizza, in Lioni. He also spend two years consulting to open Pizzeria Testa, a Neapolitan pizzeria in the suburbs of Dallas,

He’s also made his mark at several pizza competitions – including second place in the 2010 Regina Margherita Association’s Margherita STG competition in Naples, first place at the 2013 International Pizza Expo in Vegas (Italian Style category with the Caputo/Orlando Foods’ team) and second place in the 2014 Pizza World Championship in Parma.

D’Amelio is making his culinary mark at A Mano by crafting some new pizza, many of which will run as specials on weekends beginning this weekend.

A Mano 24 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ Website