SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Bianchi’s Pizza was struck with tragedy when owner Sam Mangano woke up one morning to find out a fire had destroyed the pizza restaurant.
The tenant who was living upstairs at the time called Sam and asked if he had left pulled pork in the oven as the smoke began to rise. Mangano didn’t think so and within minutes saw the aftermath of a ceiling electrical problem that caused the flames.
However the community helped Bianchi Pizza get back on their feet raising thousands of dollars for the business. The new restaurant is a sight that Mangano is excited to share.
“It’s been redesigned so it’s easier to work here and things are done differently,” Mangano said. “But that’s how much it’s changed.”
Before the fire, Sam came to the owner of Salt City Woods, Tom Derby, to have a custom countertop built. It served its time before the business suffered the fire, but that didn’t stop Tom from helping again.
“Initially it was two separate countertops in an L formation that we put in and he absolutely loved it,” Derby said.
Derby continued that he enjoys working with his hands and being in his shop. It allows him to dream and help others.
The countertop traveled to Bianchi’s Pizza to be placed before the opening of the refurbished pizza parlor in the next couple months.
Mangano said it will be in the restaurant another fifty years because everything is brand new. “Literally brand new,” Mangano said.
The restaurant hopes to please customers not only with its food, but new venue too.
