Chorney-Booth: Villa Firenze freshens up its back room with the new Toto Pizza

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If anyone in town knows their Italian food, it’s the family behind the longstanding Villa Firenze restaurant. A Bridgeland staple, Villa Firenze was opened in 1991 by Teresa and Joe Tudda, along with their four adult children and is now run by the Tuddas’ grandson Tony Nicastro, who also counts PZA Parlour, Cochrane’s Mezzo Caffe, The Stump Tavern, and a few other spots among his restaurant properties. While Villa Firenze continues to be a cornerstone of Calgary’s Italian dining community, Nicastro and his parents Pina and Joe are always looking to keep the classic white tablecloth restaurant approachable and relevant.

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Earlier this year as pandemic closures left Villa Firenze underutilized, Nicastro was looking at the restaurant’s banquet room and started to think that it could be transformed into a modern Italian pizzeria. The room was the right size and, with his uncle Peter Tudda deciding not to reopen the latest version of the family’s legendary Stromboli Inn and his other uncle Domenic Tudda concentrating on Naples-style pizzas at Pulcinella in Kensington, Nicastro knew he wouldn’t be stepping on any family toes if he opened a new pizza joint. After a redesign of that banquet space, Toto Pizza opened in the back of Villa Firenze in June.

The clean and contemporary restaurant was designed with moveable wall panels so that staff could do a quick changeover to convert it back into a banquet room when needed, leaving the pizzeria with the flexibility to do takeout on nights when there’s a private booking. Nicastro sees it as a particularly personal project for him — “Toto” is his childhood nickname and he purposely created a room that he would want to hang out in while having a drink or a bite of pizza.

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Because Toto is physically part of Villa Firenze and is a relatively small piece of Nicastro’s restaurant group, with the help of his parents and Italian cousins Federica Musciagli and Andrea Forcella, he’s been able to put together a list of pizza that speaks to his family’s tastes and background. While PZA Parlour offers a more family-friendly, Canadianized take on pizza, Toto is all about luxurious and premium Italian toppings. Pies are topped with combinations like speck and mascarpone ($24), fresh mushrooms and truffle bechamel ($23), and njuda, a relatively uncommon spicy pork sausage that spreads like a paté ($21). In addition to the pizzas, the menu features classic Italian appetizers like seasonal bruschetta ($13) and marinated octopus with potatoes ($16) as well as salads and desserts.

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“We have a luxury with this one in that we don’t have to appeal to the masses,” Nicastro says. “We don’t have to put pineapple on pizza. We can do something we want to do and don’t have to try to have something for everybody. This is what we do here and if you appreciate it, that’s great. If not, there’s a lot of other pizza out there.”

Toto Pizza is located at 610 1st Ave. N.E. in the back of Villa Firenze and is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday and dinner Tuesday through Saturday for both dine-in and takeout. The restaurant can be contacted at 403-265-1990 or toto-pizza.com.

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If you’re looking for some food and fun next weekend, the Barley and Smoke: Grillin’ for a Cure fundraiser will take place on Aug. 28 as a means of supporting the very worthy Kids Cancer Care. The event brings together 20 breweries and restaurants, all competing for titles in four different categories. Participants include local favourites like Banded Peak, Prairie Dog, and Eight-Eight Brewing on the beer side, with food from Cluck ‘n’ Cleaver, Pink Door Pizza, Rodney’s Oyster House, and many others.

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With a $75 ticket, attendees can eat all the food they’d like and enjoy sample portions of the participating beers, with additional drinks available for purchase. The event takes place at Enmax Park from 4 to 9 p.m. and will also feature live music and prizes. For tickets and more information, visit barleysmoke.ca.

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Finally, a new ghost kitchen from Thank You Hospitality has recently popped up. Kamado Izakaya is a new project from chef Naoki Kimura, who is originally from Japan and has a strong relationship with Thank You, having worked at A1 Cantina and Two Penny as well as other Calgary restaurants including Anju and Shikiji. With Kamado, Kimura is letting his love of sushi and other Japanese food shine.

Kamado does not have a storefront of its own and is operating for takeout and delivery out of A1 Café and Bodega (1213 1st St. S.W.). The menu is a delectable collection of nigiri and creative sushi rolls (including vegan options), as well as bites like gyoza, shishito peppers, and karaage wings. It operates Wednesday through Saturday evenings and orders for both delivery and pick-up can be placed through DoorDash. A menu and more information can be found at kamadoyyc.ca.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @elizaboothy or Instagram at @elizabooth.