New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Zephyr’s Street Pizza powered by playful pies, deep family roots
The small restaurant space facing West Hartford’s Brace Road parking lot has been home to several pizzerias in the past decade. Dante and Stephanie Cistulli have been waiting for a turn to make it theirs.
Their shared dream dates back to 2014, when their relationship was new. Stephanie was a server at that restaurant, then Backstage Pizza, and Dante was a manager at Max’s Oyster Bar, just a few doors down.
They’d sneak away from their respective shifts to meet in an alley between the two restaurants and steal kisses.
“We’ve been talking about this [space] for years,” Stephanie said. “Once or twice a year, Dante would say, ‘Do you know what we could do with that spot?’”
As they married, bought a house and had their first son, the Cistullis kept checking in on the status of the pizzeria, which eventually became Vaughan’s Pies and Pints, then Barb’s Pizza. They were at home one night last year — Stephanie pregnant with their second son and Dante between restaurant jobs — when they saw Barb’s was for sale.
Dante had been working on a business plan to open a food truck, but he dropped it the second he saw the online listing. “[I said] ‘This is happening,’” he said.
By September, the ovens were firing at what would become Zephyr’s Street Pizza. It’s a culmination of sorts for the experienced pizzaiolo, who first started tossing dough as a high school student at Naples Pizza in Farmington and honed his craft for the next two decades, helping
Max Restaurant Group launch the Savoy Pizza & Craft Bar concept in West Hartford.
Zephyr’s is named for the Cistullis’ older son, and the 2-year-old is named for the Zephyr Competition Team, a nod to Dante’s love of skateboarding and extreme sports. The skateboard theme extends through
the restaurant, with boards and skating photos mounted on the splashy aqua-colored walls.
Dante says he’s not sure what to call his style of pizza, which he describes as “medium” thickness, with dough stretched New York-style. “And the way I do the dough is more
of a bread procedure, something you’d see in a wood-fired pizzeria,” he said.
Zephyr’s sells whole 16-inch pizzas and a rotating selection of slices, with a mix of classic and contemporary toppings. You’ll find pepperoni, sausage and mushroom, but also robiolina cheese, truffle, nduja and braised Calabrian pork on some of the more gourmet selections.
The braised pork is central to the OG Street Taco pizza, a white pie with fontina cheese, a scattering of pico de gallo, lime creme fraiche and shredded Napa cabbage. A “silly cheesesteak” pie, one of Stephanie’s favorites, features onion, provolone and green pepper.
Several pizzas are named for family, friends and loved ones. The Bella Roni, with shredded mozz and pepperoni, is a best-seller named for Dante’s teenage daughter, Bella.
Abeets Mascolo is named for an inside joke with a friend, and has meatball, fontina and pepperoncini. The Yard Bird, with braised chicken thigh, fontina, Calabrian breadcrumbs and honey sriracha pickle relish, honors Dante’s close friend Eric Stagl, who owns the Craftbird fried chicken food truck and storefront in Newington.
Kurts, a tomato pie with garlic, basil and Parmesan, is a shoutout to Dante’s former boss and mentor at Naples Pizza, Kurt Kruczek. A few of Kruczek’s Naples “alumni” and longtime friends of Dante’s now run pizzerias of their own, including Keith Vibert at Mondo in Middletown and Dave Noad of Camille’s Wood-Fired Pizza in Tolland and Oakland Pizza Co. in South Windsor.
At its core, the Zephyr’s menu is fun and playful, right down to the “crust dippers” offered on the side: everything from ranch and Caesar dressing to decadent Nutella or truffle sauce. Zephyr’s also offers lunch box specials with pizza slices and non-pizza items like hot dogs and salads, and a soft serve ice cream machine will likely get more use in the coming summer months, Dante said.
The menu offers gluten-free options, and — at Stephanie’s urging — Dante added vegan substitutions to the menu, including vegan cheese and plant-based proteins. Now that customers know it’s available, Zephyr’s will sell 10 to 20 vegan pizzas a night, he said.
Dante enjoys close relationships with other Hartford-area chefs and restaurateurs, and has been inviting friends for weekly pop-up chef appearances on Wednesday nights. Millwright’s Tyler Anderson kicked off the series with tacos and collaboration pies influenced by his Ta-que casual taco brand, and Zephyr’s has since hosted events with local culinary stars like Adam Greenberg, Xavier Santiago and Jason Welch.
After more than 20 years in the restaurant industry, Dante marvels at the full-circle moment that brought him back to slinging dough — this time in business for himself and his family.
“It’s funny, I just kind of ended up on the first sort of thing I did in the kitchen — pizza,” he said. “Really good pizza.”
This article will appear in the May 2022 issue of Connecticut Magazine. Follow on Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag.