By Sofia Arango, Latinos en Pizza
Editor’s note: The following article is an expanded version of a profile featured in PMQ’s September 2025 cover story, Latinos en Pizza: 10 Wildly Talented Latino Pizza Chefs to Watch.
In Antonino Errante’s family, pizza is not a passing trend or a convenient profession; it’s heritage, memory and blood.
The son of a Sicilian immigrant and a Venezuelan mother, he was born in Caracas but raised on stories from Partanna in southern Italy, where his grandfather and father mastered the crafts of bread, gelato, and—of course—pizza. By the age of five, he was already hanging around the pizzeria and gelateria his father opened in 1990, watching with fascination the floured hands, the rhythm of the oven, the quiet choreography of a kitchen filled with love.
But even though pizza was always present, Errante took a different path. At 18, he left for Italy, settling first in Florence and then in Rome, where he studied digital and virtual design at the Istituto Europeo di Design. It seemed his destiny lay elsewhere…until he visited Naples.
It was a casual visit, one of those moments you don’t plan but that changes everything. He was spellbound by Neapolitan pizza. And even though he continued with his career and lived in different cities, something had shifted. Nothing would ever be the same.
He began learning on his own, watching YouTube videos by Vito Iacopelli, and then trained with renowned figures like Capuano, Bonetta, Susta, Lioniello, Giorilli…Eventually, he became a master instructor for the Accademia Pizza DOC, completing over 30 professional courses. Still, for years, pizza remained a side passion while he managed gelaterias and restaurants in Panama.
Until one day, Errante decided to come home.
A Triumphant Homecoming
At his sister’s encouragement, Errante returned to Caracas after a decade away. What he found was a changed city—more stable, more open to the dollar, more eager to enjoy life again. He knew the time was right. That’s how Antonino’s Pizza Napoletana was born, in Altamira Village, with a menu that made no concessions to nostalgia or local expectations—just true contemporary Neapolitan pizza, using imported Italian products (except for the fior di latte, which he produces locally with his own recipe).
Today, Errante is one of the leading voices of Neapolitan pizza in Venezuela. In Italy, he was awarded the prestigious Arcimboldo d’Oro, and in 2024 he placed 12th at the Pizza DOC Championship with a flavor-packed pizza featuring yellow datterino tomatoes, stracciatella, Cetara anchovies, wild oregano and semi-dried tomatoes. In 2025, he was also selected among the 100 best pizzaiolos in the world by the Best Pizza Awards.
Errante believes in rigorous training, in learning from the source, in speaking Italian if you truly want to enter the professional pizza world. That’s why he insists, “Follow the Neapolitans. If you can, go to Naples. Learn from the root.” Meanwhile, he keeps bringing world-class instructors to Caracas, organizing events, sharing knowledge, and building a bridge between two worlds.
For Antonino, Latinos en Pizza is exactly that: a space to highlight talent, spread knowledge and embrace the social soul of pizza. He’s convinced that very soon, a Latin American team will shake things up at the global competitions. And he’ll be there—as always—kneading the future into dough.
Sofia Arango is the founder of Latinos en Pizza, a network of leaders who are transforming the pizza industry in the U.S. and Latin America. She was PMQ Pizza’s guest editor for the Latinos en Pizza report for 2025. Click here to read it.
