Osman Tunali came to the U.S. from his native Turkey to learn English, not to get into the pizza business. He ended up doing both.
As he recently told the New Haven Register, “Life is full of surprises. You never know where you’ll end up.”
After opening Silver Sands Pizza in Milford, Connecticut, in 2013, the restaurateur was off and running, eventually opening a second location in Wallingford. The hits kept coming, too, with his mobile catering operation in 2015. Now he’s putting another truck on the road.
That new addition completes an impressive fleet of three custom pizza trucks and a large trailer, all featuring wood-fired ovens that cook artisanal pizzas in less than 90 seconds. The expansion enables Silver Sands to accommodate larger events and meet the demand for premium catering services at weddings, corporate gatherings, graduations and private celebrations.
“With this third truck joining our fleet, we can now serve hundreds of guests at a single event while maintaining the personalized service and high-quality food that has become our signature,” Tunali said. “There’s something magical about watching your pizza being crafted and cooked in a wood-fired oven right before your eyes—it transforms a catered event into an unforgettable experience.”
Signature items on the menu at Silver Sands’ brick-and-mortar locations include a mac-and-cheese pie called the Quinnipiac River Pizza; the White Clams Casino (clams, bacon, fresh garlic, mozzarella and EVOO); and the Point Beach Pizza, featuring mashed potatoes, bacon, mozzarella and cheddar.
The restaurant offers 25 specialty pizzas in all, along with pastas, wings, chicken tenders, salads and gyros.
In fact, Tunali branched out earlier this year with a third restaurant called Silver Sands Gyro, a fast-casual style restaurant in Milford specializing in Mediterranean food: baklava, pitas, kebabs, bowls, salads, and, of course, gyros.
In other words, Tunali has made himself at home in the USA. “I settled here, and I have two kids here in the schools,” he told the New Haven Register. “I love to serve this community and bring food to the people.”
