A newly opened Conway pizzeria uses a special process for it pies. Take a look here

Anthony Ludovici-DeBrigida moved with speed during each pizza-making movement. He had to, as tables filled with patrons and to-go orders flowed in during Anto’s Pizza Romana & Italian’s soft opening Monday, Oct. 14, 2024.

While he furiously worked, the restaurant around him at Third Avenue in Conway, S.C., felt much more intimate. A large red menu greeted customers as they walked in, pictures of Ludovici-DeBrigida and his family adorned the walls, and jazz music played quietly in the background.

“One of the things I was most excited for about having our spot was being able to make a menu that meant something to me,” Ludovici-DeBrigida said. “The menu board over there, all those pictures on the wall are things the menu’s named after.”

The air had the familiar sweet and savory smell of pizza cooking in the oven, and Ludovici-DeBrigida prepared order after order with little hesitation. His process was straightforward. He laid out the pizza dough on the counter and massaged it before picking it up and flipping it around in the air.

Ludovici-DeBrigida laid the dough on a circular wooden paddle, ensuring it lay flat.

He scooped a ladle full of tomato sauce and spread it around the dough. At first, Ludovici-DeBrigida hurriedly spread the tomato sauce in the center of the pie before slowing down and applying more deliberate pressure as he pushed the tomato sauce toward the outside of the pie dough. Then he laid out the cheese, first a light dusting before adding another layer of shredded cheese and other toppings.

Some pizzas received additional steps before going into the oven. Ludovici-DeBrigida would blow air underneath the dough for pies heavily laden with toppings, saying it gave them a little air before putting them in the oven.

Despite making each pie during Anto’s Pizza Romana & Italian Market, Ludovici-DeBrigida seemed unfazed.

There were a lot of orders and pizzas to make, but Ludovici-DeBrigida seemed to prepare the pies on instinct, as if the tomato sauce flowed through his veins.

Indeed, it does. Ludovici-DeBrigida’s first job was in his family’s Philadelphia pizzeria as a kid.

“That part of the family, they were kind of in the business since they came here from Italy,” he said.

After high school, he either ran or worked at several pizzerias. While working at a pizzeria in Florida, Ludovici-DeBrigida appeared in a One Bite Pizza Review conducted by Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy in January 2023, revealing his tattoo depicting Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham sacking Tom Brady during Super Bowl 52.

It’s not the only Philadelphia sports tattoo Ludovici-DeBrigida had, as he also sported a Philadelphia Phillies logo behind one of his ears accented by the multiple gold chains with pendants around his neck.

Now running his pizzeria, Ludovici-DeBrigida serves thin and crispy New York-style pies and Roman-style squares that are light, airy, and crisp squares using imported Italian flour. One pizza item he recommended was Pat’s Hot Honey Pepperoni, which features hot honey, red sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil.

“It kind of gives it a little bit of a spice and sweet flavor,” he added. “It’s just really nice contrast with the pepperoni. It just kind of works really well together.”

The Italian market aspect of the restaurant also offers sandwiches, salads, fried dough sweats covered in a thin layer of powdered sugar like Zeppole, and other offerings.

Ludovici-DeBrigida added that the restaurant might add a pizza-making class accompanied by a bottle of wine on certain evenings with a date night feel.

However, while many pizzerias serving New York-style pizza use high-quality ingredients, not all use a special water system to cement the New York taste.

There’s a gadget featuring a metal container, pipes and other equipment above Anto’s back kitchen door frame.

The device is a NY Watermaker filtration system that the company says takes South Carolina water and gives it properties similar to the water New Yorkers drink and pizza makers use in their dough recipes. Further, NY Watermaker takes samples of local water from its customers’ locations and studies it so that each device can replicate the qualities of New York water.

NY Watermaker Vice President of Sales Gary Lane said the company has more than 300 systems in the bagel, bread and pizza industry, with most users in California, Texas and the Carolinas. He added that the company was founded because New Yorkers traveling or living out of the state couldn’t replicate the tastes of bagels, bread and pizza from back home due to differences in the taste of water.

He added that making dough using New York water gives the dough a better rise during fermentation crust and a better, deeper color when sitting at room temperature.

“Whether the water is from India or Indiana, it’s all H20. It’s exactly the same thing,” Lane said. “Why it is completely different in one place versus the other has to do with what it’s coming in contact with and how the municipalities treat that water.”

Ludovici-DeBrigida said he discovered the system while working in Florida. When he was looking to open his pizzeria in Conway, he felt it helped replicate the authentic taste of New York-style pizza.

“You can do your dough and you can use the same recipes, but it’s not really going to come out the same because of a lot of factors, humidity (and) temperature,” Ludovici-DeBrigida said.

Many will see for themselves if there’s a difference in taste. Anto’s will be open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The grand opening is Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

It replaces Pickled Cucumber, which closed in June 2024.