A member of a well-known pizza family – the Bernardo’s – who ran Gigi’s Pizza in Fair Haven for many years, is opening Bruno’s Wood Fired Pizza in West Haven soon, the owners announced on social media.
Christopher “Bruno” Bernardo is set to open at 17 Wagner Place, formerly home to Gusto Bakery. While no date has been announced, his wife Selene Bernardo said they were hoping to open in the first week of October.
“It’s happening! Waiting for a few final touches before we reveal our big day! But it’ll be here before you know it!” Christopher Bernardo announced Thursday on Facebook.
On the Facebook page, owners shared photos of the “Bernardo style mashed potato pizza” coming out of the oven with mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, bacon and mozzarella.
One could say pizza is part of the Bernardo family’s DNA. Parents Luigi “Gigi” Bernardo and Catherine “Mama Gigi” Bernardo had owned Gigi’s Pizza in the Fair Haven section of New Haven for 19 years, which closed in 2001 when Luigi Bernardo retired, the New Haven Register previously reported.
Among their seven children, Arsenio Bernardo owns New Haven Pizza Place in Milford’s Woodmont section, Luigi Bernardo owns Little Italy Pizza Truck, and in North Branford, brothers Luigi and Frank plan to open a new Gigi’s there,
While Christopher Bernardo is a veteran in the local restaurant scene, this is his first solo restaurant, according to the Register. Bernardo has worked at his family’s Milford restaurant and both family-owned pizza trucks, as well as at Big Green Truck Pizza in New Haven. He also owned the Sandbar on Kimberly Avenue, known for its fried seafood, lobster rolls and hot dogs, according to the Register.
“I am a pizza guy,” Christopher Bernardo told the Register back in April. He said that the new place is called Bruno’s after his nickname, Bruno.
“First of all, pizza in my life. It’s all I know,” Christopher Bernardo told the Register. “I can do it with my eyes closed.”
There are many renowned New Haven style pizza joints in West Haven – such as Zuppardi’s Apizza, Mike’s Apizza, Michaelangelo Pizza, Cappetta’s Italian Imports and Tom & Pat’s Pizza. But Christopher Bernardo previously told the Register he wasn’t intimidated by other pizzerias in the area, noting that there are not many brick oven pizza places in West Haven and he has developed his own technique working with the wood-fired oven.
