Meet the Menu: Quattro Stagioni Pizza – Four Seasons, One Oven

I remember the first time I tried to explain the Quattro Stagioni concept to our staff. “It’s not just a pizza with different toppings,” I told them, gesturing wildly with flour-covered hands. “It’s four distinct experiences on one canvas. A celebration of the Italian seasons.”

They looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had. That’s what happens when you fall in love with pizza the way I have.

Every morning when I walk into Vecchia, the first thing I do is check on my ovens. Those three Acunto beauties we hauled all the way from Naples are more than cooking equipment—they’re the beating heart of everything we do. I run my hand along the brick, feeling the residual warmth from yesterday. It never fully cools, you know. Like any great passion, it’s always smoldering, ready to ignite.

The Quattro Stagioni represents everything I love about Italian cooking: balance, harmony, and the celebration of seasonal ingredients. When I stretch the dough for this pizza—feeling it resist, then yield beneath my fingers—I’m thinking about the story we’re about to tell.

Winter comes first. I scatter wild mushrooms over the creamy mozzarella base, their earthy aroma rising as they hit the hot stone. I close my eyes and I’m back at Pepper Place market in Birmingham, chatting with local foragers who regaled me with stories of spotting the perfect fungi hiding beneath fallen leaves.

For spring, I place vibrant cherry tomatoes and green olives in their designated quarter. The tomatoes will burst in the intense heat, creating little pockets of sunshine. The olives provide that perfect briny counterpoint—like April rain washing away March’s chill.

Summer belongs to the artichokes. I layer them carefully, remembering how the Italian nonnas showed me to prepare them—peeling away the tough outer leaves to reveal the tender heart within. Paired with our house-made fior di latte mozzarella cheese, it captures those languid summer afternoons when time seems to stand still.

Fall completes our circle with pepperoni and whisper-thin slices of prosciutto. The fat renders in the 900-degree heat, infusing the entire pizza with its savory essence. It reminds me of harvest time, of abundance, of gathering around the table as the days grow shorter.

Ninety seconds. That’s all it takes in our ovens. I watch through the opening as the dough rises, bubbles, and chars in all the right places. The transformation is magical every single time.

When I pull it out, the pizza is more than food—it’s a story told in cheese and dough, a passport to Italy without leaving Birmingham. That’s what I want every customer to experience: not just a meal, but a journey through the seasons, guided by flavors that have stood the test of time.

This is my passion. This is Vecchia. This is Quattro Stagioni.