SEATTLE, Wash. — Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, Seattle’s first VPN (Verace Pizza Napoletana) Neapolitan pizzeria, announced today the management team appointed to lead the company’s fifth neighborhood location, set to open in Bellevue’s Crossroads late summer.
Mariano Valdovino will head up the culinary staff as Kitchen Manager, while Tyler Kopkas takes the reigns as General Manager. While each has distinct responsibilities, they share at least one common thread: each has been promoted from within to manage the Crossroads location.
Kopkas heads east after having led Tutta Bella’s Westlake location in the thriving South Lake Union neighborhood following time at the Columbia City store. Said Kopkas, “Westlake and Columbia City were each valuable experiences in their own way that prepared me to take on the responsibilities of a GM at Crossroads. It’s my job to ensure the operation runs smoothly and that the customer feels at home from the moment they arrive until the last bite.”
Kitchen Manager Valdovino, a six-year Tutta Bella veteran, comes to Crossroads from Tutta Bella’s Westlake location where he held the same title. He has spent his entire career with Tutta Bella and calls “pizza perfection” his primary goal each time he comes to work.
Tyler Kopkas, General Manager Mariano Valdovino, Kitchen Manager
Photos courtesy of Tutta Bella.
“Tutta Bella offers everything a person who’s passionate about great food could ask for in a company, especially if you’re passionate about pizza,” said Valdovino. “Couple the opportunity to work with the best equipment and the best ingredients with a commitment to recognizing and then developing talent that is second to none, and you have an incredible working environment.”
The 7000 sq. ft. Crossroads location, designed in partnership with Mallet Design, will be Tutta Bella’s largest to date, featuring 300 seats and a true four-season patio – perfect for long, lingering lunches and family dinners on warm Seattle summer evenings and cool winter afternoons. Additionally, the restaurant is less than a mile from Microsoft’s Bellevue campus making it an attractive option for corporate gatherings.
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria: The first restaurant in the Northwest and the tenth in the United States that is recognized by the VPN as a Verace Pizza Napoletana which translated means a true Neapolitan pizzeria. In 2012 it was named ‘Best Family Restaurant’ by Seattle Magazine, and 2011 was named ‘Best Pizza Joint’ by Parent Map magazine, selected as ‘Best Pizza in Seattle’ by Seattle Weekly and ranked as one of the top 100 fastest-growing inner-city companies in America by Fortune magazine. Founded in 2004, Tutta Bella has four locations in addition to the new Crossroads location in Bellevue; Columbia City, Stone Way, Westlake and Issaquah.
For more information, visit www.tuttabella.com
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