Dining
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Jersey Giant Pizza recently celebrated a decade of being open in Bee Cave. Owned and operated by New Jersey native Paul Serraino, the pizzeria features pizzas, desserts and more. What’s in a name Serraino was born into his parent’s Ital- ian-American restaurant in New Jersey where he picked up his pizza-making craft. “I was following my dad around the kitchen for many years and picked up, by instinct, a lot of things that he was doing in his restaurant, the avors,” Serraino said. “Of course, being raised in an Italian family, I have all the recipes from my mom’s recipe book. ... My grandmother from Calabria worked at a pizza place when I was growing up, so there’s some heritage in the pizza business.” Serraino moved to Texas after high school, working for many years in advertising, real estate and as a caterer. “I noticed this cool location in the heart of Bee Cave and was reminiscing on the days of being on the boardwalk in New Jersey where we would enjoy these giant slices of pizza,” Serraino said. “Having that nostalgic memory [of] those times and then seeing the opportunity to open up a small pizzeria, I decided to start Jersey Giant Pizza.” What’s on the menu While his parent’s restaurant featured an extensive menu of Italian and American food, Serraino said he wanted to focus on his favorite item: pizza. Jersey Giant is best known for its giant 28-inch pies but also o ers 12-, 18-, 20-, 22- and 24-inch pizzas with classic meat, cheese and veggie toppings, plus gluten-free options. These pizzas, along with other menu items such as chicken wings, pizza rolls, calzones and garlic knots, are made on the “largest stone pizza oven that they make,” which Serraino said is the authentic way of doing things. There are no fryers in the establishment, and the kitchen also does not use seed oils in any of its cooking—just olive oil and butter. The menu also features meatballs, sub sand- wiches, salads and desserts such as cinnamon rolls and cheesecake bites. Jersey Giant Pizza serves family-style East Coast pizza in Bee Cave
The restaurant is best known for its 28-inch pizza, which comes in several varieties with meat, vegetables and more.
PHOTOS COURTESY JERSEY GIANT PIZZA
New Jersey native Paul Serraino makes pizza.
The menu includes meatballs, wings, calzones and more.
A family a air “This is just an authentic project that I put together myself,” Serraino said. “It’s not a franchise. It’s family-owned. ... I have a lot of loyal New Jersey [and] New York customers. Of course, everybody really likes us, but they come in and they give us the thumbs up that we’ve got it. We’re authentic and they really appreciate the avors reminding them of home.”
BEE CAVE PKWY.
71
HAMILTON POOL RD.
N
13908 Hwy. 71, Bee Cave www.jerseygiantpizza.com
47
LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION
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