The Not-So-Secret Ingredient in Every Dish at Vecchia Pizzeria

The Special Ingredient You Taste in Every Bite

At Vecchia Pizzeria & Mercato, we often get asked about our secret ingredient. What makes our Neapolitan-style pizzas so authentically delicious? Why do our pastas transport you straight to an Italian grandmother’s kitchen? What’s the magic behind our scratch-made desserts?

The answer is simpler—and more complex—than you might expect: Chef Benard Tamburello.

From Skating Rink to Naples and Back

If you’ve been following our story, you know Chef Benard’s journey didn’t start in a prestigious culinary school. It began in the humble snack bar of a Homewood ice skating rink, where a young Benard watched frozen pizzas cook in tiny countertop ovens and thought, “I can do better.”

That thought became a mission. That mission became a journey to train with the best pizzaiolos from Naples, Italy, where Benard trained for two intensive months at the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) school—the gold standard of authentic Neapolitan pizza certification.

There, he didn’t just learn techniques. He absorbed a philosophy.

The Chef as an Ingredient

When Chef Benard stretches each dough by hand (never with a rolling pin!), his passion becomes part of the recipe. When he monitors our imported Acunto ovens—the same ones we spent seven days straight curing to reach that perfect 900-degree sweet spot—his dedication becomes a flavor note.

Every decision at Vecchia carries Benard’s signature:

• The choice to import flour from Molino Paolo Mariani in Italy
• The commitment to VPN certification standards
• The preservation of family recipes passed down through generations
• The insistence on making everything from scratch, even when it would be easier not to

You Can Taste the Difference

There’s a reason regulars say they can tell when Chef Benard is in the kitchen. It’s not just about following recipes—it’s about the intuitive adjustments he makes for Birmingham’s humidity on a given day. It’s about the way he listens to the sound of the dough to know when it’s ready. It’s about the perfect timing of sliding a pizza into our wood-fired oven at just the right moment.

In a world of corporate restaurant chains and pre-made shortcuts, Chef Benard remains our not-so-secret ingredient—the human element that transforms good food into an unforgettable experience.

Come Taste for Yourself

Whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth, we invite you to come taste what happens when passion becomes an ingredient. Because at Vecchia, we’re not just serving food—we’re serving Chef Benard’s lifelong dream, one perfect pizza at a time.

Want to experience the Chef Benard difference? Visit us at 610 Preserve Pkwy, Suite 100, Hoover, Alabama, or call us at 205.637.3036 to place an order. Open daily from 11:00am to 9:00pm.

Italian Cooking Classes!

Check out our next cooking class: