In a sea of New York City slice joints, it takes something very special to stand out. Once deemed delicious by locals, pizza connoisseurs, social media stars, and esteemed publications, the people will flock. Lines will form early and persist until closing. Familiar faces will return time after time, proudly ushering their first-time companions to the pizza Promised Land.
Nestled amongst South Williamsburg grab-and-go grub spots is L’Industrie. Owner, pizzaiolo, and Florence native, Massimo Laveglia, has been pumping out thin-crust, New York-style pizzas from his 250-square-foot space since 2017. “I was working in a restaurant in the city, and someone told me there was a pizzeria for sale in Williamsburg. I never made pizza before but decided to go for it,” Laveglia says.
Praised for his use of high-quality ingredients like Bianco di Napoli tomatoes, Liuzzi cheese, Action Bronson’s olive oil, and a blend of Italian and Hudson Valley flours, Laveglia has built a loyal following; the shop’s small ordering window is always busy. Except right now, when L'Industrie is temporarily closed in the midst of an upgrade.
Massimo Laveglia, owner and pizzaiolo of L'Industrie.
The pandemic, although difficult, presented Laveglia with an opportunity. “The space next door became available and we knew this was an opportunity to do more,” he says. Tripling the space meant installing a bigger and better oven, currently being shipped in from Italy. “In addition to a larger outdoor patio, we will have some seats inside. Seven at the pizza counter as well as seven seats in the window,” he explains. There will be a dough room where guests can watch it being made with a new double-arm mixer.
Pizza slices from L'Industrie.
As for the menu, Laveglia plans to streamline the pizza options and add new items. “We won’t do a crazy number of pizzas. We will keep it to three or four round pizzas and hopefully add Roman-style and focaccia. We’ll continue with our sandwich specials. I bought a soft-serve machine, so we will also be doing gelato. I would love to do panettone too. We’ll see.”
Slated to reopen in late April, Laveglia has been keeping busy with preparing the space, working on recipes, and cooking at private events. For those who simply cannot wait until reopening to get their L’Industrie fix, keep an eye out for upcoming pop-up collaborations with local restaurants. “We love working together with our industry friends and will be back in our new space for the spring, bigger and better than before," Laveglia says.