Picazzo’s aims for healthy-centric Italian food | Food And Drinks

As COVID-19 limits ease, Picazzo’s Healthful Italian Kitchen is serving up a answer for people seeking to lose any lingering “Quarantine 15″ kilos.

Picazzo’s, positioned at 7325 Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, is an Arizona-primarily based household-owned healthcentric cafe, featuring a menu of salads, entrees, pasta and pizza. The eatery fuses modern-Italian delicacies with daring flavors of Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican elements.

Boasting other places in Sedona, Tempe, Gilbert, Paradise Valley and Arrowhead, Picazzo’s serves 90 to 95 per cent natural develop. It sources complete foodstuff wealthy in vitamins for self-explained “Healthitarians” – including gluten-totally free diners.

In accordance to Picazzo’s Director of Functions Chris Disney, the restaurant’s business has been booming subsequent the onset of the pandemic, despite source shortages confronted by enterprises throughout the place.

“It’s excellent as significantly as company goes,” Disney tells Airpark News. “After the pandemic, individuals who have probably been sitting at dwelling and undertaking consider out and just form of consolation and worry eating – I consider (they) are attempting to catch up on much healthier life once again.”

Cue Picazzo’s.

The Italian kitchen area prides alone on its gluten- and- vegan-free of charge menus.

Picazzo’s resources NAE (No Antibiotics Ever), hormone-absolutely free and American Humane Certified rooster wings and breast, in accordance to its web page. It also characteristics nitrate/nitrite no cost meats, like its sausage from certified-eco-friendly company Polidori.

All sauces and dressings are manufactured from scratch working with organic and natural spices and non-GMO sunflower and imported olive oils, Picazzo’s web page carries on. Friends can both decide to indulge in dishes like the Lasagna Bolognese ($18), the Sustainable Salmon Picatta ($27) or the first hand-stretched Meaty Meaty pizza ($22).

A independent vegan menu capabilities offerings of salads, entrées, pasta, pizza and desserts applying brand names that aid the plant-primarily based diet program, these kinds of as Follow Your Heart, Daiya and Outside of Meat.

“We have the vegan menu and supply a lot of vegan products that type of, I assume, just make it an less difficult transition (to a healthier life style),” Disney suggests. “Our make is 95 p.c natural, which is fairly unheard of. The substances are seriously critical.”

Rick Freedman started Picazzo’s in Sedona in 2002 when he saw the need to have for a wonderful pizza spot in the expanding place. In 2004, the restaurant expanded into the Valley and opened its Scottsdale Airpark locale.

The corporation reevaluated what helps make it unique from its new saturated market place of opponents. The business enterprise built off of its now-well-liked gluten-absolutely free pizza crust when it opened its Paradise Valley site in 2008.

Relocating towards whole Italian selections was Picazzo’s turning issue. It pioneered giving a whole menu of gluten-no cost choices for people to choose typically gluten-loaded dishes devoid of panic.

As it appealed a lot more and additional to the gluten-totally free shoppers, Picazzo’s saw an opening to give choices for other forms of dietary limits, together with soy, GMO, corn, dairy and veganism.

Even with economic hardships brought on by COVID-19, Disney says Picazzo’s carries on to evolve. The cafe has battled with provide shortages, but is doubling down on its endeavours to continue to broaden its previously considerable checklist of vegan and health-aware menu offerings.

“There are unquestionably some struggles on the operations side of things – but anything below the sunlight is getting an outing and that is one thing not everybody understands,” Disney points out, noting that the restaurant has been struggling with paper provide shortages. Picazzo’s strives to utilize eco-pleasant packaging, a luxurious that is more durable to occur by, he states.

The menu is not the only matter altering, either.

The Picazzo’s Scottsdale area is staying reworked to update its signage, Disney says. Comfortable booth seating, delivering for an inviting atmosphere, is being integrated into the interior, as perfectly as pops of greenery through new snake plants.

Daring Plant Hen, a 100% plant-based mostly product or service with zero animal hormones, animal antibiotics and saturated fats, is also hitting the menu for those people searching to satisfy chicken cravings guilt-totally free.

“I would say for a great deal of Picazzo’s objects, we basically get down in the turmoil and into the merchandise. We read the labels,” Disney claims. “We are doing this for the persons who are striving to be gluten-free or transferring in that course.”

For far more data about Picazzo’s Healthier Italian Kitchen, or to get on the net, visit picazzos.com.