A thirty-year pursuit of pizza
Vytauras Sasnaukas has chased the balance, taste, heat, and tradition behind great pizza from Lithuania to Cleveland to Naples — and back home again.
The story behind the oven
Pizza Pia is rooted in the long search for a perfect wood-fired pie. Founder Vytauras Sasnaukas grew up in Lithuania, found an early fascination with pizza, trained as a cook, and moved to Cleveland in 1996. Years later, the speed and heat of wood-fired ovens — followed by the traditions of Naples — shaped the pizza served today. The bake may last only ninety seconds, but the dough begins the day before with Italian-milled 00 flour, Italian salt, Cleveland water, and a starter nurtured over years.
What guides the pizza
Old-world technique
Neapolitan tradition informs the dough, the heat, and the balance of each pie.
Cleveland water
A local detail in a dough built with Italian-milled flour and a long fermentation.
Daily attention
Temperature and humidity shape the dough every day, making each bake its own craft.