Andrew Thierry Bellucci (January 21, 1964 – May 31, 2023) was an American cook.
Life
Bellucci was born on 21 January 1964, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Initially developed his skills in the East Village, Bellucci's fascination with the history of pizza drove him to rediscover the heritage of New York's pizza-making, tracing its origins to Naples immigrant Gennaro Lombardi. This led him to resurrect a defunct coal oven in Little Italy, persuading Lombardi's grandson to endorse a pizzeria bearing the family name. Later, Lombardi's Pizzeria was established.
Bellucci emerged as a distinguished figure in New York's pizza scene in the 1990s, crafting artisanal pizzas that later influenced a new generation of chefs. His renown was overshadowed by an earlier crime involving embezzlement at a Manhattan law firm, leading to his arrest and a 13-month prison sentence.
Following his prison sentence, Bellucci ventured through a phase of professional obscurity, later resurrecting his culinary career in Malaysia. His return to New York saw him fulfill a lifelong dream of opening his own establishment, Bellucci Pizza, in Astoria in 2020. Further developments included a legal dispute over the naming rights to Bellucci's initial pizzeria in Astoria, which was eventually settled in a federal court in December 2022.
Bellucci died on May 31, 2023, due to a heart attack.
References
- ^ Wells, Pete (2023-06-05). "Andrew Bellucci, Pizza Visionary With a Troubled Past, Dies at 59". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- ^ Maag, Christopher (2023-06-07). "'Never Seen Pizza Boxes at a Wake Before': Mourning a N.Y. Pizza Legend". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- jmoro (2023-06-01). "'Don of Dough' Andrew Bellucci dies after heart attack in Astoria pizza shop". Astoria Post. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
- Fortney, Luke (2023-06-01). "Andrew Bellucci, Famous Pizza Chef Who Helped Reopen Lombardi's, Dies at 59". Eater NY. Retrieved 2023-06-07.