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When the restaurant becomes HighBrow, it will keep using one of them to make pizzas, while the other will be used to cook “wood fire-inspired creative American food.” “That’s the basis of my restaurant,” he said. He also said the name was originally devised by former city councilor and friend Jesse Adams.Īt the center of the HighBrow concept are Pizzeria Paradiso’s two wood-fired ovens, imported from Italy. It’s going to look completely different.”īrow said he chose the name HighBrow as a combination of his name and because the definition of highbrow is “rarefied, sophisticated and taste.” However, he chose to put a wood-fired oven on the restaurant’s logo so that the impression wouldn’t be given that it’s a fine dining establishment. It’s a new restaurant, it’s a new vision, new concept. On why he’s not just keeping the old name, Brow said, “because it’s not the old restaurant. “I’ve seen a lot of places go down and I’ve seen a lot of places skyrocket to the top.” “I am driven by my fear of failure,” said Brow, on whether he is nervous about buying the restaurant. He said he and Brow have worked out a deal that they’ll get to eat at each other’s restaurants for free. The home of Pizzeria Paradiso on Crafts Avenue was the original location for Spoleto, but Guerra said he will not miss it, because he’ll get to eat there now and only focus on enjoying his food. Guerra said he will still own the building and he’s not leaving the restaurant business. “What the restaurant really deserves is to have an owner-operator.” “It’s time for some fresh blood,” said Guerra, of the sale.
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While the plan was originally for Brow and Guerra to become partners in the ownership of Pizzeria Paradiso, Brow ended up making the decision to buy it outright. Brow worked for Collins at Center Square Grill in East Longmeadow before coming to work for Guerra in his current position. Of Brow, Guerra said, “He’s a passionate, talented, chef.”Īnother key figure in Brow’s career was Bill Collins, who first hired him at Spoleto Express. He assumed his current position working for Guerra in January of this year. He also credits Northampton’s status as a “funky food town.”Ĭurrently, Brow manages Pizzeria Paradiso, Mama Iguana’s and Spoleto Restaurant for Pizzeria Paradiso’s founder, Claudio Guerra.īrow first started working for Guerra when he was 16 at Spoleto Express, and he went on to work in restaurants in such places as North Carolina and East Longmeadow.
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“It’s almost life becoming full circle,” Brow said.Ī graduate of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, Brow said that the first time his class from JFK Middle School toured Smith Vocational, he knew he wanted to go there, after he got a look at its kitchen.īrow, who lived in Forest Park in Springfield before moving to Northampton when he was 10, said he grew up being exposed to different types of food, including Vietnamese food from families in the Forest Park neighborhood and a Dutch-Indonesian pre-school teacher who had shitake mushroom logs in her yard, and who taught him and his class how to roll sushi. “He made that my pizza and cooked it.”įast forward to today and Brow, 34, is the soon-to-be new owner of Pizzeria Paradiso, which he will retool and rename HighBrow Wood Fired Kitchen + Bar after he assumes ownership of the business in September. “I caught it, and I threw it back up to him,” he said.
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As he was watching one of the cooks work, their eyes met and something special happened: The cook threw him a pizza dough.
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If your guests are waiting over an hour for food and your staff can't keep up, maybe just don't take as many customers at one time.NORTHAMPTON - When he was around 10 years old, Andrew Brow went to Pizzeria Paradiso. They let us know up front that they were busier than usual but I feel like graduation weekends are times that restaurants should be able to plan for.
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We were disappointed with the speed of service when we dined outside in May.
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That said, we are grateful that they offer gluten free and their crust is the best anywhere! I understand that gluten free crusts cost more but it's kind of like forcing a handicapped person to pay more for their airfare or bus ticket. I do wish they would change up the menu a bit more often.Īs someone who eats gluten-free because of a documented immune reaction, it would be more equitable and inclusive if people with sensitivities weren't forced to pay more for their pizza crust. Sometimes the toppings on the pizzas are scant other times more generous. The vibe is comfortable, simple, attractive, not pretentious. High Brow is basically a trattoria serving simple Italian-inspired fresh food. This is our go-to spot for excellent thin-crust pizza.
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