The moment you step into Nova Pizza Bar, you are met with the aroma of fresh Neapolitan-style pizza, the hum of lively conversation, and the warm smile and passion of its owner, Luca. A seasoned restaurateur, Luca has spent his life in the food industry, bringing his deep-rooted Italian heritage and love for authentic cuisine to his newest venture.
“I grew up in the food business,” he shares. “I moved to America ten years ago, and I’ve basically been doing this all my life. Nova was an idea between three friends—my two partners and me—who all love food. We wanted to create something at a higher level, with the best wines, food, and ingredients, but still in a casual way. We like sharing good food with everybody.”
Luca’s culinary journey began in Calabria, in southern Italy, where his family owns a restaurant. His experience in the food business started early, eventually leading him to the U.S., where he worked in several well-known restaurants. In 2019, he took his first major step as an entrepreneur by opening a coffee shop, Coffee Luca, on Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, Connecticut.
“It did very well for the first year,” he recalls. “But in the second year, unfortunately, Covid hit me, and I had to switch my business to catering.”
Instead of a physical storefront, Coffee Luca became a mobile operation, providing high-end Italian coffee for corporate events, weddings, and private gatherings. While successful, Luca’s “dream was always to open a nice restaurant like Nova, with great pizza, beautiful Neapolitan pizza, pasta, all with fresh ingredients—the food that my family and I eat every day,” he says.
Bringing Nova Pizza Bar to life wasn’t something he did alone. “Speaking of my partners, I was very lucky to have support and be supported by my two partners, Lorenzo and Orazio. We met here ten years ago in America, and finally, we were able to create something together,” he says. “This was the best combination, as I had tried before with other partners to make this restaurant a reality, but it wasn’t possible until Lorenzo and Orazio, as well as my family, supported me in making this happen.”
Finding the right location was key to Nova’s success, and Larchmont stood out as the perfect town. “For the kind of concept we wanted, it’s the perfect town,” Luca explains. “There are a lot of people here who travel, maybe to Europe sometimes. Many of them have been to Italy and know the difference between Italian food in America and the real thing. They can taste the difference between the mozzarella they try here and the mozzarella they eat in Italy.”
Securing the location was just the first step. Luca and his team spent nearly ten months completely renovating the space.
“We changed everything,” he says, pointing to the brand-new pizza oven. “Even the oven that was here before—we replaced it. Everything is new.” The name Nova holds deep significance, with three distinct origins. “In Latin, ‘nova’ means ‘new,’” Luca explains. “That represents what we’re bringing—high quality, high level, but in a casual, fun, family-style way.” At the same time, “nova” refers to a star—like a supernova. “We want Nova to be bright, to shine in the community, and to be a place that stands out,” he adds.
But the name is also deeply personal. “I’m from a town in Italy called Cittanova. It means ‘new city,’” he shares. “Cittanova has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the years, mostly because of earthquakes. Every time, the town is reborn.”
Nova isn’t just about pizza—it’s about the entire experience. “It’s like a chain,” Luca says. “Every ring in the chain has to be strong. If one is weak or broken, then it’s not excellent anymore—it just becomes another average restaurant.” One of the strongest rings in Nova’s chain is its ingredients and preparation.
Another essential ring is Nova’s service. “In many American restaurants, service can feel robotic,” he says. Servers will come over, ask if you need anything, refill your water, and leave. “We want to be more involved. We’re always here—the owners make the pizza, manage the bar, take care of guests. It’s personal.”
At Nova, every dish is a reflection of Luca’s personal taste and passion for authentic Italian cuisine. “People always ask, ‘What do you suggest?’ ‘What’s your favorite?’” he shares. “And I say—the menu you see is already a selection of my favorites!”
Nova’s menu is intentionally curated, built around the flavors and dishes Luca and his team love most.“You won’t find certain dishes that are in a lot of Italian-American restaurants,” Luca explains. “Either because we don’t like them or because we are not Italian-American. We are 100% Italian, and we focus on 100% authentic Italian cuisine.”
“The pasta, the pizza, the appetizer selection—this is what we eat ourselves,” he says. “It’s the food we want to share with others so they can try the real thing.”
For those unsure of what to order, Luca has a simple recommendation: “If I had to choose the best way to eat here, it’s to start with an appetizer, one or two for sharing at the table, then a pizza and a pasta to share as well,” he suggests. “It’s like little Italian tapas—you take a few plates, a few dishes, and share them with the group at your table. That way, you get to try a little bit of everything.”
For Luca, dining at Nova isn’t just about food—it’s about the experience. “It’s not just about coming to Nova for good pizza,” he explains. “It’s the experience of eating this great food with friends and family.”
Nova Pizza Bar may be just the beginning. “We are three partners. All three of us shared the dream of opening Nova, and now our goal is to expand,” Luca says. One of his partners is already researching locations in other “perfect towns” like Larchmont. “Ideally, we’d love to open more—maybe two, three, four, five,” he says. “I don’t know, but hopefully, many!”
