Cousins Joe Whittaker and Peter Lancaster have fulfilled a dream that looks set to benefit Bolton as much as themselves. They have just opened Tesoro, a pizzeria in Heaton that is truly exceptional. After rave reviews for the home-made pizzas they sold at their pub, The Finishers Arms, the enterprising duo have bravely taken the next step with the new venture.
“We’re from a food background, in fact we grew up in the family delicatessen, Darleys, in Over Hulton,” explained Joe. “It was always our dream to have our own purpose-built restaurant and we’re absolutely delighted that it’s become a reality.” Those whose tastebuds have been deadened by the multi-chain English attempts at the Italian classic are in for a real treat if they visit the New Hall Lan e premises.
Joe was trained by Italian-born Marco Fuso, who can count the 2017 Best Pizza Maker in Britain as one of his many awards. “Last year, when we were making pizzas for the pub, we were finalists in the Best Pizza category of the Italian Awards. Now we’ve got the restaurant up and running, we’re hoping to do even better this year.
“A lot of places have pizza and pasta on the menu, but we’re a genuine pizzeria and we concentrate all our focus on making pizzas. We offer antipasti, but it’s pizzas we specialise in, that’s how we’ve earned our reputation.” The menu features four classic pizzas, but is outnumbered by Tesoro’s original pizzas which change according to the season.
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