Tutta Bella Delivers Pizza to Commander-In-Chief on Air Force One

Special “Il Presidente” Neapolitan Pizza Created by America’s Only VPN Gold Certified Pizzaiolo Chef Brian Gojdics

Seattle, Wash.—(February 17, 2012)— Until today, no honor quite equaled Joe Fugere being recognized by President Obama during a speech where he made a remark directed at Fugere’s Tutta Bella stating,“ I still haven’t tasted the pizza, but he [Joe Fugere] promises I’m going to get some at some point.”

Fugere had met with the President in Seattle to discuss the issues facing small businesses in a challenging economic climate, and was subsequently invited to the White House for the signing of the Small Business Jobs Act (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKUycnkGXTs) on September 27, 2010.

While President Obama’s schedule this week did not allow for a personal visit to one of Tutta Bella’s four Neapolitan Pizzeria locations in Columbia City, Wallingford (Stone Way), Issaquah or South Lake Union (Westlake), special arrangements were made to forgo lunch and have the pizzas specially delivered to Air Force One.

Though it was no small feat, Fugere made special arrangements to have the coveted VPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) certified DOC designated pizza ready for pick-up at Paine Field in order to fulfill the President’s desire to have a taste of Tutta Bella’s renowned Neapolitan pizza.

“A visit from the White House inspired us to create this special pizza we named ‘Il Presidente’ to satisfy The President’s love of spicy food. The pizza is topped with hot Calabrian chiles along with Seattle’s own Mama Lil’s pickled peppers and locally made Isernio’s Italian sausage, extra virgin olive oil, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, basil and grana padano,” says Tutta Bella Executive Chef Brian Gojdics. To coincide with President’s Day, Tutta Bella will offer the ‘Il Presidente’ pizza as a special for $13.50 for one week only at all Tutta Bella locations starting on Monday, February 20 through Sunday, February 26.

And if having your pizza requested by the President isn’t honor enough, Joe Fugere and Tutta Bella Neapolitan pizzerias have also been chosen as finalists for the prestigious Small Business Administration’s 2012 Small Business Person of the Year award for Washington State. Winners from each category will be recognized at the Washington State Small Business Awards Gala in April 2012 and compete for nationwide honors during National Small Business Week in May 2012.

Since opening its doors in Columbia City in 2004, Tutta Bella has been a trailblazer not only in providing the best Italian wood-fired pizza in Seattle, but it has been recognized locally and nationally, time and again, for being an exemplary leader in the small business community.

In 2011, Tutta Bella was named ‘Best Pizza Joint’ (http://www.parentmap.com/article/2011-golden-teddy-winners-family-food-and-dining?page=3) by ParentMap magazine for being one of the most welcoming kid-friendly restaurants in Seattle, selected as ‘Best Pizza in Seattle

(http://www.seattleweekly.com/bestof/2011/award/readers-choice-1391104/)’ by Seattle Weekly, and, for the second consecutive year, ranked by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City and Fortune magazine in the Inner City 100 as one of the top 100 fastest-growing inner-city businesses in the United States. Tutta Bella is also presently a contender for the Wall Street Journal Editorial Staff Award for Innovations in Business.

2010 was a banner year for Tutta Bella, when it beat out 33,000 of its peers in being named ‘Independent Pizzeria of the Year’ by Pizza Today magazine and received ‘Business of the Year’ recognition from the Greater Seattle Business Association and in 2009 they were named one of only five ‘Hot Concepts’ in the country by Nation’s Restaurant News and given the ‘Full Service Operator of the Year’ award by the Washington Restaurant Association.

“It’s been a whirlwind, these past few years, and I am grateful for and humbled by all our successes. To give credit where it’s due, I really can’t say enough about the entire Tutta Bella family, who work tirelessly to make sure we give our utmost to customer and community alike, and always produce the best pizza Seattle has to offer,” says Joe Fugere.

Far from being pie in the sky, the sky’s clearly the limit for Tutta Bella Neapolitan pizzerias with more locations planned, Tutta Bella is poised for even greater success. (http://www.TuttaBella.com/news).

Photos of today’s delivery of the Il Presidente pizza to Air Force One are available at http://goo.gl/eY68d. Brian Gojdics is available for interview; contact Lori Randall for more information.

Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria:

Founded in 2004, Tutta Bella has four locations; Columbia City, Stone Way, Westlake and Issaquah. For more information on specific locations, visit www.tuttabella.com.