OUR STORY

John Vigliotti is the owner and grew up three blocks away from the original Peppino's Restaurant & Catering Company, but he did not set foot in the restaurant until he was 18 years old. Unless he was at his uncle’s pizza shop, the chances of him eating food outside of his home were slim. In his family of Italian immigrants, he said, no one ate meals out or got their food delivered. When his mother went away shopping, though, he would get dropped off at his uncle’s restaurant. This is where he first found his love for customer service.

“Ever since I was a child, eight years old or so, I always kind of liked the idea of making pizza, making something with your hands where then somebody else is going to enjoy your work,” he said. Five years after he first went inside Peppino’s, Vigliotti bought the restaurant for $5,000. In his opinion, the difference is in the dough. John’s philosophy is “all about digestibility” and it shows in the way Peppino’s makes its dough. The dough ferments for three days, which allows it to expand and release alcohol, sugar, and CO2 gas. When using this method there are fewer simple sugars, allowing the pizza to be easily digested. This process, along with his creative recipes, have earned him numerous accolades and awards. In fact, in 2016, his PS2 pizza won second place in the traditional category of the International Pizza Challenge at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, NV!

As a local and family-owned business for over 50 years, he considers himself to be a part of the surrounding neighborhood. Service to his customers and the community is at the heart of what John does every day. For the past two decades, Vigliotti has made continual efforts to contribute to the success of Syracuse’s youth. He lives by the saying, “if you have the ability, you have the responsibility,” and focuses his mentor-ship on students, of all ages, through business partnerships and beyond.

Vigliotti, his wife, Maria, and their three sons currently live in the Syracuse, NY area. The people and the resources are what kept him in central New York, he said. “I’ve always been a big fan of Syracuse, it’s a great place to raise a family.”

Peppino’s has proven its longevity, having been in business since 1968. And even though it is well established, John continues to go to seminars and watches a lot of videos to refine and improve his craft.“We’re committed to constantly improving and serving the best product we can,” he said.

Gianni and Frank Vigliotti are John's sons and accomplished pizza chefs. They manage multiple simultaneous processes - from dough and ingredient prep to cooking in the pizza oven with skill and perfection. They know what makes good pizza and learned from the best!

Jodi Doss is the Sales and Marketing Manager. She is responsible for keeping our website and social media sites up to date in addition to securing new business and maintaining repeat customers for the catering department.  She also books and coordinates the outside events for special occasions and celebrations.  Jodi prides herself on providing the utmost in customer service and can't wait to help you with your next catering order or event.  She enjoys SU Sports, visiting her daughter in NC and spending time with her husband and cats!

Email Jodi: jodi@mypeppinos.com

Chris has worked at Peppino's for over 16 years. He is our chief dough maker responsible for executing John's signature dough recipe for our delicious pie's. His personality lights up our back of house every day and we are truly blessed to have him as part of our team!

Tony is our Pizzaiolo. He has worked at Peppino's almost as long as John has been the owner. His creativity shows each month when he comes up with new and exciting flavors for our "Pie of the Month". Sometimes savory, sometimes sweet, and sometimes a combination of both- you never know what will come out of the oven when Tony is around. He keeps things exciting and fun and our team would not be complete without him!