GOODFELLA'S WINS AGAIN

By MIKE AZZARA
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER

Goodfella's Brick Oven Pizza, a long-time Dongan Hills fixture, last week claimed first prize during Pizza Festival IX, held during Pizza Expo 2001, in Las Vegas.

The award-winning pizza is named "The Sally Pie" after head chef Salvatore Russo, who created the recipe. It consists of a unique blend of fresh mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, russet potatoes cut paper-thin and sauteed in olive oil and fresh rosemary, and grilled lemon garlic chicken. It is topped with a chedar cheese sauce, made with sharp cheddar, heavy cream, shallots and scallions.

Russo's inspiration for the pizza came from a holiday dish his mother use to make when he was a child. "Making this pizza reminds me of the holidays," Russo said. "When I smell the rosemary potatoes and lemon garlic chicken, it brings back great memories of growing up."

Goodfella's was established in 1993 and has quickly caught the attention of pizza lovers throughout the tri-state area, including Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is an avid pizza fan and frequent visitor.

The national pizza contest is sponsored by Pizza Today Magazine and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Winning is by no means new for Goodfella's, which now has a location in Brooklyn and is soon to open in New Jersey. It won "Pizza & Pasta" Magazine's national contests in 1994 and '95 and last year was voted "Best of the Northeast" in a competition staged in Atlantic City.