At 7:30 PM, William Manzo Jr. and his wife Christine, owners of Federal Hill Pizza, will formally open their newest location at 1039 Chalkstone Avenue in the former Castle Theater. The restaurant serves an array of dishes which can also be found at their original location in Warren, RI. Chef Billy Manzo, a Master Pizzaiolo certified by Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli, and a graduate of the AVPN Pizzaiolo training course, has created a full-service menu with breakfast, lunch, dinner and drink items, including brick oven pizza, pasta, salads, gluten-free pizza, and more. The restaurant will be open from 6 AM – 11:30 PM Sunday through Thursday, and 6 AM-midnight Friday and Saturday.
Federal Hill Pizza is the first business to successfully take advantage of the Providence City Council’s Neighborhood Revitalization Act. This act passed in December of 2015 and helps small business owners lower their startup cost so they can grow their business in Providence. The developer, in turn, must also hire Providence residents, contractors, and minority populations. “Federal Hill Pizza is a great example of the City Council’s Neighborhood Tax Stabilization Program working for small businesses. I’m excited for the Manzo family and wish them the best in their new business venture. I encourage small business owners to look into the neighborhood TSA program to see how it can help them grow,” said Council President Luis Aponte.
By partnering with the City of Providence’s First Source program and Road Map to Recovery, Federal Hill Pizza is also able to employ skilled, job-ready candidates and provide further training. Councilwoman Ryan stated, “Chef Billy Manzo’s patience and willingness to go the extra mile and invest on our workforce, our neighborhoods and in the city of Providence will help revitalize our community’s business corridors.”The rehabilitation of the Castle Theater as well as the Manzo’s plans for many community oriented initiatives proves that they will become a central hub for the Ward 5 community and model for future businesses interested in taking advantage of the NRA project.
Chef Billy Manzo and Christine are also the co-founders of Chefs Feeding Kids, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that helps raise the funds necessary for programming to ensure that children have enough food to eat and equip families with skills to create nutritious meals. Serving youth and promoting healthy eating habits has always been the focus of Federal Hill Brick Oven Pizza’s philanthropic efforts in collaboration with corporate sponsors. The Manzo’s greater commitment to promote social change initiatives will have a direct positive impact on the local community.
The grand opening on Wednesday, March 22 at 7:30 is open to the community and will feature food, beverages, and music to celebrate.
