A popular pizza place will be the latest addition at Golden Belt when Greensboro-based Cugino Forno brings their Neapolitan pies to the area this summer. We asked co-owner, Joseph Ozbey, to tell us what makes his pizza place stand apart and what’s in store for us at their upcoming Durham location.The name of the company, Cugino Forno, means Cousins Oven, which is where the restaurant’s story begins: three cousins from Turkey, Jospeh Ozbey, Yilmaz Guver, and Adam Aksoy, opened their first location in Greensboro after driving about 17,000 miles in three months all around North Carolina to find the perfect spot. They now have locations in Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Clemmons.
“We decided open our first location in 2017 after seeing this place in Napoli Italy call Pizzeria Da Michele which was featured in the movie Eat, Pray and Love starring Julie Roberts. We loved the pizzas so much we went there for lunch and dinner in the same day! We knew that we wanted to do something similar here in the states, so I decided to stay there to learn all the techniques that go into Neapolitan style pizza like cooking the pizzas in 90 seconds and getting the dough ready, which takes about 48 hours before serving,” Joseph explains.
Cugino Forno’s signature pies are the Margherita DOP, which was named after queen Margaret’s visit to Naples in 18th century, and the Neapoetana, which has Italian sausage, cippolini onions, sweet red peppers, and Bufala mozzarella cheese. The Durham menu will be the same as Greensboro with fresh pizzas, salads, desserts, gelato and grab-and-go pizzas. Due to the way the pizzas are made, gluten free options are not available, but they do offer filling salads, including a caprese with Bufala mozzarella.
What makes their pizzas stand apart is that they are made with imported ingredients certified by the Italian government making sure they adhere to the standards. They import almost 85 percent of their ingredients from or around Napoli, including fresh buffalo mozzarella, which is made out of water buffalo’s milk; San Marzano tomato sauce, which grows in or around the coast of Napoli; 00 flours, which has not been changed or bleached since the early 1900’s, and of course, the ovens, which are about 7,000 pounds, each handmade with sand and stone of Mount Vesuvius and can go up to 1,200 degrees, cooking the pizzas in 90 seconds or less.
The owners received many phone calls, e-mails and social media messages from people in the Triangle who tried their restaurant and encouraged them to start looking in the Durham area. When they came across the location at Golden Belt, they knew it was a perfect fit for their concept.
The interior will be very similar to the Greensboro location with a lot of daylight, picnic-style tables, and an open kitchen for people to watch them making and cooking pizzas. There will also be outdoor seating.
“I think the best part about coming to a new city or community is the excitement you see from people; when they are anxiously waiting for the opening date. Some people hear the news and can’t wait for us to open, so they take a day trip to one of our other North Carolina locations. The amazing energy and positive vibe makes us so happy,” Joseph says.
Depending on the construction timeline, Cugino Forno hopes to be open by the beginning of the August.
Photos courtesy of Cugino Forno
Jillybeans says
Where the heck is Golden Belt?
magnoliawriting@gmail.com says
800 Taylor Street is the address for the entire set of buildings/complex. Hi-Wire Brewing and Two Roosters Ice cream are also located here.
Malia Qury says
Golden Belt is a very famous place. I want to go and take the pizza.
Bina says
I have been going to their pizzeria anytime I pass by Greesboro. It is so so so good. I can’t wait to have them closer!!!!