Antico Pizza Napoletana in Kelowna, BC is the first Canadian restaurant to match or exceed the pizza I’ve had in Italy. After 9 months spent in Italy, I don’t say that lightly! I’m so happy I can experience this fluffy, wood-fired crust cooked with high-quality Italian flour in Kelowna, BC. I’m also a big tomato sauce snob and Antico’s nailed it!

Owners, Tony and Miranda, moved their business from Winnipeg to Kelowna a few years ago to their primo location on Bernard Avenue and word of mouth caught on fast. Tony is half Italian, half Greek and learned the centuries-old art of making Italian wood-fired pizza in Naples, Italy, the pizza capital of the world. Tony’s Greek side shows itself in the amazing Greek salad, hummus with wood-fired pita and the delicious olive oil that they get from his uncle’s olive oil farm in Greece. If I feel like Italian food, I go to Antico’s for pizza and if I feel like Greek food, I go there for the Greek salad and hummus. It’s a win win! With gluten-free crust and vegan cheese options, there is something for everyone. And don’t even get me started on Miranda’s homemade cheesecake. Everyone I introduce it to goes bonkers for it.

So much care goes into each pizza, from the selection of the high-quality ingredients, to the artful hand movements that shape the 3-day rise dough, to the precise method of cooking with a wood-fired oven. Not only does cooking with a wood fire oven boost flavour, it also helps food retain nutrients and anti-oxidants with it’s quick cook-time and even heat distribution.

It was such a pleasure photographing this edible art form. Check out Antico Pizza Napoletana at 347 Bernard Ave, downtown, Kelowna.