His food at the new Roma Pizza and Restaurant "is like home cooking — not fancy, nothing made artificially," said owner Pat Brancaccio.
He and his wife, Rosalie, welcomed friends with a grand opening party Monday. The restaurant, on Whiskey Road beside Fred's Discount Store, will open officially today at 11 a.m.
Pizza is his specialty, Brancaccio said. The restaurant will offer a Margherita pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh garlic, tomatoes and basil. Another favorite is white pizza, complete with an assortment of cheeses and the choice of fresh mushrooms or tomatoes.
Roma Pizza and Restaurant also provides Italian dinner entrees like Chicken Marsala with Marsala wine sauce. A variety of sandwiches are available as well.
"We cater to families and have reasonable prices," Rosalie Brancaccio said.
After about 30 years in Florida, where Brancaccio's family owns 23 pizza restaurants, the couple moved to Aiken a few months ago. Some of his longtime customers had moved to Aiken and asked Brancaccio and his wife to join them.
"We really liked the town and the people and saw this as a good opportunity," Rosalie Brancaccio said. "It's something different for us. Everybody is so friendly, and we really like it there."
Brancaccio spent his early years in Naples, Italy. His father was a baker, and the boy and his siblings spent many happy hours "playing in the dough." The family moved to New York, and Brancaccio later worked in an Italian deli before moving with family members to Florida.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.
