WICKED GOOD EATS

wicked

GOOD EATS

Lake Leelanau newsflash: Little Italy has returned, and a king has found his castle! Consider the old Bella Fortuna restaurant building conquered, with talented chef Eric Nittolo now taking reign. The wood burning oven is fired up and so is Eric. Rising from the ashes you can once again taste an authentic slice of Italy, in all its glory and deliciousness. “In the first 12 days we have sold over 1,500 pizzas. I think we sold more pizzas in 10 days than Bella Fortuna did in 10 years! We are already thinking of adding another pizza oven.”

That’s a big workload, but he is blessed with great help. His son Dominic is quite literally forging their success in fire. Dominic is at the helm of this blazing hot

104 Main St. Lake Leelanau, 231.994.2400

nittolospizza.com

JUST OPENED — NITTOLO’S PIZZA

inferno, whipping up fresh “made to order” hand tossed pizzas in a matter of minutes, the mouthwatering taste is truly Tuscan. He’s charred through five cords of wood so far. With non-stop future deliveries planned.

Eric is the chef with the secret sauce. He is larger than life and knows how to hustle, marketing himself and his unique perspective on amazing food. “Just like we rocked Traverse City at Cambria Suites we’ll do the same thing here,” Eric said. Here is the plan! The outside bar area can seat 130 outside. From 3:30 – 5 pm it is a crazy happy hour. Half off food prices and a third off drink prices. They will also have live music. Next, he hopes that his fine dining “Seafood & Social” will round out the evening. Starting at 5:30 until close is dinner only. Much like a restaurant week format, he wants to offer three courses for $39 per person. Reservations are available on the Open Table app. This is where he hopes his passion for creating spectacular cuisine will triumph. “It’s like three different places rolled into one.”

“It will be a fun ride to watch, experience, and taste! We can guarantee that great grandma Nittolo’s age old recipes are “heaven sent” and will rock your world, and your tastebuds,” Eric said.

CHEF ERIC NITTOLO AND HIS SON DOMINIC BY THE WOOD BURNING FIRE

The world keeps getting smaller. Leave a small footprint.

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COMMUNITY SAILING SINCE 1994

NORTHERN HERO

Urgent Needs Fund:

An interview with David Mengebier, President & CEO of Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation

‘Northern Hero’ focuses on highlighting inspiring groups, events, and individuals within our community. We seek to find people who give back to the community in selfless ways. Over the past year, Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation’s Urgent Needs Fund has raised almost a million dollars for nonprofits in northwest Michigan’s five-county area. We sat down with President and CEO of Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, David Mengebier, to discuss the Urgent Needs Fund.

What is the Urgent Needs Fund, and why was it created? The Urgent Needs fund was created in mid-March of 2020 in response to the pandemic. We saw that nonprofits in our area, particularly those serving basic needs (food pantries, thrift stores, emergency shelter, crisis counseling) were facing high demand for their services but low revenue streams. Almost immediately after the pandemic hit, there was a tremendous need for support.” Where does the Urgent Needs Fund allocate donations, and how are these selections made? The data showed that lower-income demographics were most affected by the pandemic. The Urgent Needs Fund focuses on nonprofit organizations serving vulnerable populations, those that were disproportionately impacted by COVID. Our goal is to find where grant dollars will have the greatest impact. Initially, we received an enormous amount of grant applications - way more than we could ever fund. As the pandemic has evolved over the past year, the demand for basic services has started to decline. We have allowed nonprofits to reapply for grant funding, and many of them have. Nonprofits have also adjusted the way they raise money, whether it’s through digital fundraising, auctions, or events. For example, Traverse City’s Downtown Development Authority used grant money to purchase products from downtown merchants, then proceeded to donate these products to nonprofits and individuals in need. How has the community helped the Urgent Needs Fund? The Urgent Needs Fund was originally funded by various charitable foundations within the region, but over forty-percent of the gifts given came from first time donors. These were smaller donors pledging $50 or $100 at a time. We had never had a fund like this before. I think the Urgent Needs Fund demonstrates how important it is for the community to have these types of flexible funds, so that we can respond to emergent needs. We’ve been really successful with the Urgent Needs Fund, thanks to the generosity of so many people throughout the community.”

Andrew Dzierwa was born and raised in Traverse City and is passionate about promoting the people and culture within his hometown. Andrew works full-time at Hagerty, and enjoys fishing and playing the piano in his free time. To nominate an individual for this column email: editor@baylifenorth.com