By Brian Hernandez
Matthew Cutolo wears several hats at Gargiulo’s, the iconic 119-year old Coney Island institution his family has owned since 1965. The third-generation family member oversees pastry operations, helps manage the business and serves as the sole keeper of the restaurant’s century-old cannoli recipe. But pizza has been part of his story from the beginning, and today he’s helping carry that tradition forward through Gargiulo’s seasonal Pizza Garden, a Sorrento-inspired outdoor pizzeria in Brooklyn.
PMQ’s Brian Hernandez recently spoke with Cutolo for an episode of PEEL: A Pizza Podcast about family recipes, pizza traditions and introducing new audiences to old ideas.
PMQ: You’re now the keeper of a century-old cannoli recipe. What’s that responsibility like?
Cutolo: It’s definitely something I don’t take lightly. The recipe was passed down through our family, and I learned it from my cousin Mike, who was our pastry chef for over 40 years. When I knew he was eventually going to retire, I made it a point to stick by his side and learn everything I could.
At first, he’d throw one ingredient in the mixer and disappear. Then he’d come back and add another ingredient and disappear again. Eventually he started teaching me everything, explaining not just what to do but why things worked and what would happen if you made mistakes.
PMQ: When did pizza first enter your life?
Cutolo: Pizza was the first thing I ever learned how to make. My grandparents had a house on Shelter Island, and they imported two brick ovens from Naples. There were always family members and friends over. We’d spend entire weekends making pizza. I was probably two years old with my hands in the dough learning from my grandfather.
That’s really where it started for me. Before pastries. Before desserts. Before anything else. Pizza was my first introduction to cooking.
PMQ: Gargiulo’s isn’t necessarily known nationally as a pizza restaurant. How did the Sorrento Pizza Garden come about?
Cutolo: The idea was to create something that connected people to where our family came from. We imported a brick oven from Naples, put it on wheels and created this outdoor experience that runs on Friday nights during the summer.
What started as an idea has turned into something people genuinely look forward to every year. We get phone calls in March and April asking when it’s opening.
PMQ: What makes Neapolitan pizza the right fit for the Sorrento Pizza Garden concept, and what do you think people misunderstand about that style of pizza?
Cutolo: Everything starts with authenticity. If we’re trying to create a little piece of Southern Italy in Brooklyn, then Neapolitan pizza is a natural fit. The oven came from Naples, the style comes from Naples, and the experience is rooted in that tradition. We wanted people to feel connected to where our family came from, and pizza became the vehicle for telling that story.
I also think some people mistake simplicity for easy. A pizza with only a few ingredients doesn’t leave you much room to hide mistakes. Every ingredient matters. The dough matters. The cheese matters. The oven matters. That’s part of what makes Neapolitan pizza such a beautiful style.
PMQ: Do guests respond more to the pizza itself or to the overall experience?
Cutolo: It’s both. The pizza brings them in, but the atmosphere is what makes it memorable. You’re sitting outside with a wood-fired oven, the aromas, the décor, the music. People remember how an experience made them feel, and that’s what we’re trying to create.
PMQ: How important is the oven to what you’re doing in the Pizza Garden?
Cutolo: It’s a huge part of it. We imported the oven from Naples because we wanted the experience to feel authentic. When guests see pizzas coming out of that oven all night, it becomes part of the show. It helps create the atmosphere we’re trying to build.
PMQ: You’ve built a significant social media following. What’s your advice for operators who still haven’t embraced that?
Cutolo: You’ve just got to start. It’s not going to be perfect in the beginning. Trust me, I go back and watch some of my old videos and think, “What was I doing?” But you improve over time.
The biggest thing is consistency. People aren’t opening guidebooks anymore. They’re opening Instagram. They’re opening TikTok. Before they visit your restaurant, they’re checking your content. If you’re not telling your story, somebody else is.
For me, social media is an opportunity to share recipes, traditions and the things that make our culture special.
PMQ: Last question: If a first-time guest wants to understand your family’s story through food, what should they order?
Cutolo: You’ve got to get the cannoli. That’s the obvious answer because it’s such a big part of our history. After that, I’d tell them to try our Penne Pasqualina. It’s a signature Gargiulo’s dish that you really can’t get anywhere else. And if they’re visiting during the summer, they’ve got to spend a night in the Pizza Garden. That experience probably tells our story better than anything else we do.
Brian Hernandez is PMQ’s associate editor and coordinator of the U.S. Pizza Team.
