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Michael Ayoub’s foray into the restaurant industry was an impulsive one. While studying radiology at Long Island College Hospital, he worked in tandem at Skaffles, a Bay Ridge restaurant that specialized in grilled pizzas. About a year into working there, he witnessed tensions rising between the two owners, and it became clear—one wanted out. So Ayoub stepped in, using what little money he had to buy half of the restaurant at just 20 years old.
“At 20 years old, you do things more impulsively than you do at 68, but I think it was a great move,” he spoke of his thought process at the time. “Sometimes life is all about taking opportunities when you see them.”
It seems his wager paid off. Using Skaffles as a jumping-off point, the chef went on to own various restaurants across Brooklyn, most notably the beloved Cucina. Becoming the first-ever Brooklyn restaurant to be reviewed by The New York Times, the Greenpoint spot nabbed two stars for its pastas and Chicago-style pies. Seemingly having a knack for dabbling in various styles (pizza is his favorite food, after all), Ayoub’s next act was to introduce something that had yet to be seen in the slice-dominated New York arena. While a fan of the chewy, wood-blistered pizzas popular in Naples, he knew that the dough wouldn't translate, as the wet, almost soup-like pizza wouldn't stand up to New Yorkers' propensity for eating food on the go and take-out. Blending his creative side with a scientific eye toward the study of water and flour, he meticulously tested and re-tested his base, combing over protein counts, flour strength and hydration. His obsession spurred the tagline, "The Art and Science of Pizza," and he came to market in 2004 with Fornino. His fermented, wood-fired pies were such a hit that they changed the conversation around pizza, so much so that his pies landed in a new category altogether, “Neo-Neapolitan.”
To this day, you can still find this pizza pioneer in the kitchen as Ayoub celebrated a momentous 20-year milestone at Fornino last year. The pizzeria has since bubbled to three locations total in Brooklyn, two of which sling pies in view of the Hudson: one at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the other on the 5th-floor rooftop at Time Out Market New York, Dumbo. Yet, the chef is careful not to rest on his laurels after a two-decade-long stretch, ever the study of his craft.
“Being a chef, you're always a student. If you think you know it all, that's when you really don't know anything at all,” he said. Even his dough recipe isn't static, and has taken him a "lifetime" to perfect. "It's always a studying process that I try to get better, do something new, whether it be flavor combinations or hydration of my dough. There's always tweaking, there's always room to grow," he said.
After marking 21 years of business this year, it seems as though Fornino is ready to grow yet again. And by that, we mean make the journey into the city as the pizzeria will be opening inside Time Out Market New York, Union Square.
Marking his first concept across the bridge, Ayoub will be bringing his tried and true pizzas, topping fermented pies with soppressata, buffalo mozzarella and broccoli rabe. Differing from the Dumbo location, Ayoub will expand his menu with classic salads, including his Caesar salad, next to seasonal options that will utilize goods from the neighboring farmers' market, Union Square Greenmarket (think tossed gem salad and fall salads with fresh kale, beets and apples). The forthcoming outpost will also feature sandwiches, including a chicken sandwich with burrata and a chicken parmesan, all served on baked-to-order bread. Making for many firsts, Ayoub will also introduce a lunch special, selling half pizzas and a side salad for only $13.
For Ayoub, this move to Manhattan was a long time coming, as he was secretly seeking a location for his pizzeria in the city. So when Time Out Market New York, Union Square approached him with another partnership at their newest hall, he once again recognized an opportunity, and “jumped in two feet forward.”