Matt Criscuolo, left, owner of Piccolo Pizza, with his long-time pizza man, Vava Carneiro.
Go to the Piccolo Pizza web site and you’ll find “Jazzeria” emblazoned across the home page. That’s because owner Matt Criscuolo has merged his passion for pizzerias and jazz in what he calls “a jazz-themed, stylish restaurant that serves Italian pizza and food.”
Piccolo Pizza, at 24 Prospect Street, features live jazz every night except Friday and Saturday. Diners on Wednesdays might even catch Mr. Criscuolo playing alto saxophone.
Mr. Criscuolo learned to love the restaurant business as a young boy in his father’s restaurant, Rowayton Pizza, and today, in addition to Piccolo Pizza, he owns Wilton Pizza, Toozy Patza in Georgetown, and co-owns Bistro 7, a farm-to-table restaurant in Wilton.
“What I love most about this work is the instant gratification when you make good food and people acknowledge it,” he said.
Piccolo specializes in crispy crust pizza and entrees using authentic Italian ingredients. In addition to dining room service, it does a high volume of delivery, takeout and catering.
Piccolo also does a high volume of fund raising for schools and charities and once a month donates a portion of net profits to an environmental cause. “We get caught up in the chaos of making a living, but we still have to have a commitment to making the world a better place,” he said.