V Pizza in Palm Valley is making strides, according to co-owner Paul Scott.
The authentic Italian eatery has recently ordered its signature wood-fired pizza ovens from its supplier in Naples, Italy. The suppliers, the Ferrera family, have been making pizza ovens in Naples for four generations and have hand-built them for all the V Pizza locations. The ovens, named La Valle and Amore, are currently headed to the shipping containers to begin their journey across the Atlantic Ocean in anticipation of their new home in Ponte Vedra.
The location is tentatively set to open on July 1, Scott told the Recorder. The new V Pizza will be located off Canal Boulevard, near the intersection of Roscoe Boulevard, next to the fire station and Community Center.
The design of the new location is intended to reflect both the flavor of Italy and the history of Palm Valley. Scott said the building will have two sections in congruence with its other locations — the “pizza” side and the “bar” side. The bar half will be called “Julep.” Julep will have 36-foot ceilings, 600 to 800 bottles of liquor, a fireplace and a 6-foot catwalk.
“It’s going to be a very upscale cocktail bar,” Scott said.
In addition, the exterior design will pay homage to old Palm Valley farms by replicating an old-fashioned horse barn. On the side, the V Pizza kitchen will be “the most authentic to Italy,” compared to any of the other locations. Scott said they are planning to have Italian-style murals on the walls and Chicago brick.
The Palm Valley location with be the sixth location opened in North Florida, since the first V Pizza opened in San Marco in 2004. The idea for the restaurant is rooted from a trip to Italy that inspired the owners to create truly authentic Neapolitan-style pizza outside of Italy. Scott, Kris Williams and Mark Turner partnered for the idea and brought the concept to Jacksonville. Since its inception, V Pizza has won numerous awards from publications across the region, including everything from “Best Pizza” to “Best Cocktails” to “Best Wings.”
Part of the success is stemmed from the restaurant’s unwavering focus on recreating the Neapolitan pizza in the most authentic way possible. Everything from the “00 flour,” mozzarella, sauce, ovens, prosciutto and peppers, are imported directly from Italy.
“We found out that about 85 to 95 percent of every restaurant in Italy uses (Caputo 00 flour) in Italy,” Scott said. “So that was that.”
In addition to the ingredients, the Ferrera artisan ovens reach up to 900 degrees and cook a pizza in only a minute and a half.
“It is widely regarded as the best wood-fired oven in the world,” Scott said. “They take a couple of weeks to make once we order with them. They make them right there on site and we have them shipped directly from Italy to us. (After it arrives) it takes us approximately 10 days from when we light the oven to get it to temperature.”
As well as opening a sixth store in Palm Valley, the business is already working on plans to open a seventh in St. Augustine, although they are currently still looking for a specific location in the area.
