Epicureo Pizza | Newport, MA

From his cozy one-man takeout shop, Tony Carbone has built a loyal following among Newburyport locals by creating a new small-batch epicurean pizza each week.

Although Tony offers more traditional pizzas, his biggest draw is the rotating lineup of “this week only” specialty pies. Recent favorites include “Crispy Salami, Fresno Chili Honey, and Romano Crumbs,” “Crumbled Sausage & Cacio Romano Cheese Crisps,” and “The Bacon Tomato Jam,” which features a sweet, smoky red sauce fortified with bacon and caramelized onions.

Inspiration for each weekly creation comes from Tony’s background as a personal chef, his favorite Italian flavor combinations, and reviewing past Instagram posts to see which offerings generated the most customer interest. He also embraces the flavor principles explored by Chef Samin Nosrat in her Netflix series, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.

Because Tony’s featured pies change so quickly, they do not have the luxury of slowly building awareness. Rather than posting “beautiful food” photos alone, Tony films himself explaining what makes each upcoming pizza especially tempting and flavorful.

To keep those video previews visually fresh, Tony appears in a variety of outdoor locations depending on the season. By regularly sharing candid glimpses of his life, creative inspiration, and personal passion, he has helped many regulars feel like they know him personally over time.

 Whether by design or necessity, Tony has historically limited his dough production to just 50-70 pies a day. Because he regularly sells out, loyal customers are motivated to order early rather than risk missing out on one of his uniquely memorable meals.

Word of mouth among area foodies has continued to spread, causing Tony to sell out earlier each day. Now he is figuring out how to expand capacity in a manageable way while still keeping customer relationships as personal as possible.

Bravo!!!