By Tracy Morin
Gerardo’s Pizzeria in Sedona, Arizona, proves that thinking outside the box has the power to uplift entire communities—and can even create positive ripple effects for the earth as a whole. With a focus on sustainability and a commitment to educating customers and young chefs alike, this family-owned business wants to “redefine what a modern independent pizza operation can be.” While that may seem a lofty goal, Gerardo’s is achieving that mission in myriad ways.
Following a philosophy of “exceptional ingredients, thoughtful sourcing and respect for tradition,” Gerardo’s now combines two generations of pizza passion under its roof: Gerardo Moceri opened his first restaurant in 2000, relocated to Sedona in 2016, and now his youngest son and head pizzaiolo, Gerardo Jr., brings traditional Italian techniques to the operation after completing his own training in Italy.
A father-son operation isn’t unheard-of in the pizza world, but Gerardo’s is anything but business as usual. Its focus on sustainability pervades operations: a 72-hour dough using regenerative flour from Arizona-grown heritage grains, housemade mozzarella prepared fresh daily, and partnerships with regenerative farms that support soil health and family agriculture. These efforts recently attracted the attention of the Slow Food movement, which awarded the pizzeria its Snail of Approval. This recognition honors businesses that support clean and fair food systems while preserving culinary traditions and strengthening connections between farmers, producers and their communities.
Another unique layer of Gerardo’s involves fostering hands-on education within its four walls. Its teaching kitchen mentors hospitality interns and aspiring chefs from both the U.S. and abroad in the finer points of flour, dough and authentic Italian techniques.
PMQ recently sat down with Gerardo Jr. to talk more about his business’ mission—and how craftsmanship, sustainability and financial success can coexist in today’s competitive foodservice landscape.
PMQ: What exactly is the teaching kitchen at Gerardo’s, and how does it operate?
Gerardo Moceri Jr.: Our teaching kitchen is one of the things we’re most proud of, because it allows us to share what we’ve spent decades learning. We’ve welcomed culinary interns from Mexico through J-1 hospitality programs, students from Northern Arizona University’s hospitality program, and most recently an intern from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. We hope to continue expanding these opportunities.
When someone joins us, they don’t simply observe—they become part of the restaurant. They work alongside us through the same daily routines that keep a small family restaurant running. Most begin with pastry production and dough, because rolling pizza dough is one of the most important jobs in our kitchen. Every pizza starts there.
They learn how to use a commercial spiral mixer, which is very different from mixers found in many culinary schools. We teach why a spiral mixer develops gluten differently and why it’s essential for producing the style of dough we make every day.
We also spend a great deal of time teaching baker’s percentages. Rather than memorizing recipes, we teach students to think mathematically—understanding hydration percentages, salt percentages, fermentation, and how to scale recipes up or down while maintaining consistency. It’s one of the most valuable skills a baker or pizzaiolo can develop.
Beyond the technical skills, we hope they experience what it’s like to work inside a true family-owned restaurant. Unlike large hotels or corporate kitchens, they’re working directly with the owners every day. This isn’t just our business—it’s our life. We take tremendous pride in every ingredient, every dough batch and every guest experience.
We also want them to gain confidence. Mistakes happen, and that’s part of learning. We encourage questions, experimentation and growth, because that’s how great chefs are developed. Anyone interested in our internship opportunities is always welcome to reach out to us directly.
PMQ: Why is education such an important part of your business model, and what have you learned from working with aspiring young professionals?
Moceri Jr.: Education has always been part of who we are, because we’re constantly learning ourselves. Teaching forces us to think more deeply about why we do things the way we do.
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is patience. Young professionals remind us that curiosity is one of the greatest assets in a kitchen. They ask questions that sometimes challenge our own assumptions, and that pushes us to keep evolving.
Pizza dough is a living organism. It’s constantly changing based on the flour, the weather, humidity, fermentation and the seasons. Because of that, our dough recipe is always evolving. We don’t believe recipes should stay frozen forever—we believe they should improve over time.
Working with students has reinforced that philosophy. It’s okay if something doesn’t work. The important question is: What did we learn from it? Every mistake becomes an opportunity to improve the next batch.
We’ve also learned to embrace new ideas. Every generation brings a different perspective, and we welcome that. Change isn’t something to fear—it’s part of becoming better.
PMQ: What does sustainability mean at Gerardo’s, and how do you translate that philosophy into practical decisions throughout the restaurant?
Moceri Jr.: The word sustainability gets used everywhere today, but for us it’s something much deeper than a marketing phrase. We try to evaluate every decision through both an environmental and an economic lens. Sometimes those two don’t align immediately, but over time we’ve found they usually do.
Our sustainability efforts begin with our ingredients. We support local farms whenever possible, as well as regenerative agriculture, regional flour mills and local meat suppliers, because shorter supply chains generally create healthier food systems.
But sustainability extends well beyond food. We think about composting, recyclable packaging, the cleaning chemicals we use, water consumption and how our daily operations impact the environment. Restaurants create environmental impacts in many different ways—not just through the food they serve. We believe it’s our responsibility to continue improving every aspect of our operation.
At the end of the day, we don’t try to overcomplicate it. We simply ask ourselves: How can we make today’s decisions better than yesterday’s?
PMQ: Why were those sourcing decisions—partnering with regenerative farms, using ingredients like Arizona-grown heritage grains—important to you?
Moceri Jr.: Flour is the foundation of everything we do. Every guest who visits Gerardo’s experiences our dough, so if we’re going to invest anywhere, that’s where it starts. That’s why we work with Shepherd’s Grain, whose farmers practice regenerative agriculture, and Hayden Flour Mills here in Arizona, whose heritage grains and local milling allow us to showcase Arizona in our pizza.
As chefs, we love understanding where ingredients come from, because every flour behaves differently. Different regions, different harvests, different wheat varieties—they all change how dough ferments and performs.
We believe customers are becoming much more interested in where their food comes from, because quality matters. People are asking more questions, reading labels and wanting to know the story behind what they’re eating. That’s why we use educational place mats throughout the restaurant. We want guests to learn while they dine.
Our philosophy is simple: If you were eating dinner in our home, we’d tell you exactly where every ingredient came from and why we chose it. We bring that same transparency into our restaurant every day.
PMQ: Tell us about your menu and some guest favorites.
Moceri Jr.: Everything starts with the dough. We make several different styles of pizza, including our traditional wood-fired Neapolitan, thick Sicilian, and a naturally fermented sourdough crust available by request for our Neapolitan pizzas. Each style has its own hydration level, fermentation schedule and baking process, because every pizza deserves its own approach.
Our dough ferments for about 72 hours, allowing it to develop incredible flavor, texture, and a lighter, more digestible crust. It’s a process we never rush.
We also make our mozzarella fresh in-house every day. It’s hand-pulled using simple, high-quality ingredients with no fillers or unnecessary additives, so the quality really comes through in every bite.
Our tomato sauce is just as simple—whole plum tomatoes and sea salt. We believe exceptional ingredients don’t need to be covered up with sugar or excessive seasoning.
Our menu is always evolving with the seasons and the ingredients that inspire us, so there’s always something new to discover. Some guest favorites include our wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, our thick Sicilian pizza for those who love a heartier crust, our naturally fermented sourdough crust by request, our housemade tiramisu and our wild-caught Rhode Island calamari. No matter what they order, our goal is always the same: to honor exceptional ingredients, make as much as we can from scratch, and create food that’s memorable from the very first bite.
PMQ: Gerardo’s recently received the Slow Food Snail of Approval. What did that recognition mean to your team?
Moceri Jr.: Receiving the Slow Food Snail of Approval was an incredible honor, because it represents values we’ve believed in for years. The Slow Food movement began in Italy and promotes food that is good, clean and fair—for the people who eat it, the farmers who produce it and the environment.
The Snail of Approval recognizes restaurants that prioritize craftsmanship, transparency, sustainability, local sourcing and responsible food production. For us, it wasn’t simply an award. It was confirmation that the way we’ve chosen to operate truly matters. More importantly, it gives us another opportunity to educate guests about the Slow Food movement and encourage more people to support restaurants and producers who share those values.
PMQ: You’ve proven that craftsmanship, sustainability and financial success can coexist. What advice would you give other independent pizzeria owners who want to achieve this balance?
Moceri Jr.: We’re fortunate to operate in Sedona, where tourism allows us to invest in higher-quality ingredients. But our advice is simple: Never compromise on your dough. The dough is the foundation of every pizza. If you compromise on your flour, you’ve already compromised the entire product before the toppings are added. We spend significantly more on flour than many restaurants, because we believe it makes the biggest difference.
Invest in quality ingredients, learn everything you can about fermentation and stay curious. Your dough should always continue evolving. When you focus on craftsmanship first, customers recognize the difference.
PMQ: Do you utilize any marketing tactics to attract customers or top-notch employees?
Moceri Jr.: We’ve always believed relationships are our greatest form of marketing. Social media allows us to educate people about our ingredients, our processes and what makes our food different. We also work with publications like Edible Central Arizona and local media to share our story.
Google reviews have been incredibly valuable because they come directly from our guests and reflect authentic experiences. Most importantly, word-of-mouth continues to be our strongest marketing tool. When people have an exceptional experience, they naturally tell others.
As for our team, we believe people stay where they continue learning. We invest in education, encourage curiosity, create opportunities to grow, and involve everyone in the craft of what we do. We want our team to feel proud of the food they create every day.
PMQ: Looking ahead, what’s next for Gerardo’s?
Moceri Jr.: One of our biggest goals is expanding our retail offerings so guests can bring a little piece of Gerardo’s home with them. We’re developing more housemade products, including our chili oil, limoncello, cookies and other specialty items that reflect the same care we put into everything served in the restaurant.
We’re also excited to expand our hands-on culinary classes for both children and adults. From regional Italian cuisine to traditional pizza making, these classes will give people the opportunity to learn authentic techniques, understand quality ingredients and experience the traditions behind the food. We’ve always believed there should be very few secrets in cooking. In fact, we’re happy to share our dough recipe with anyone who genuinely wants to learn. We believe knowledge should be shared.
Expanding our retail shelves and educational programs allows guests to recreate some of those memories at home while continuing to support the craftsmanship and quality that define Gerardo’s. And, as always, we’ll continue refining our recipes, strengthening relationships with local producers, investing in education, mentoring the next generation of culinary professionals, and finding new ways to celebrate exceptional food.
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s associate editor.
