Chef John Flora:

John Flora was born into a poor family of tailors in Bari, Italy, but followed his dreams to America, arriving on December 17, 1962, impoverished and speaking no English. He grew up in the predominately Italian neighborhood of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, New York. In a neighborhood where dough overflowed the streets, a pizza parlor was on every corner, and authentic Italian food was an everyday part of life, the Villa Cucci Italian Bakery was already renowned for its quality. John began working there, not realizing at the time that his career in food had already begun.

It was while vacationing in Miami Beach that John realized that he could not find an authentic pizza anywhere. Flora’s Drive-In pizza parlor opened in 1972, and later, Flora’s Italian Restaurant, with ingredients sourced direct from Italy. Soon other restaurants began asking about acquiring the same Italian ingredients, and John began his restaurant supply business.