Spinning pizza dough since he was nine years old, L.A. Italian Kitchen founder, Joe De Santis began working at the family pizza places on the weekends. When he turned sixteen, he got the keys to the family car and the restaurant where he became the Manager. The pizza you crave, the pasta you dream about, and the breadsticks that melt in your mouth are all inspired by recipes from a long line of De Santis Family members who have passed down their recipes from generation to generation. These recipes have traveled from Italy to California.
In the 1950's, Joe's grandparents, Joseph and Margaret, came to Los Angeles, California, and opened an Italian grocery market. Joseph and Margaret had a son named Frank, who expanded their business to include a pizza stand in Glendale. After a few years, they grew large enough to open their first restaurant: Pizza Pete's -- a move that would set the De Santis Family's business for generations to come.