Emerging from the pandemic’s shutdowns, Vaknin wanted to pivot his attention away from the fast-casual format to more “destination” restaurants, the kind people would seek out, sit in, and stay awhile. He had a plethora of ideas for different culinary concepts, but vegan Italian quickly rose to the top.

Before Coletta finally opened on Valentine’s Day of this year, Vaknin spent weeks learning from Italian-born master pizza maker Girolamo “Mo” Maniscalchi, owner of newly launched catering company, The Pizza Peddler. Vaknin took in Maniscalchi’s decades of experience, soaking in his expertise and working side-by-side to develop what would become Coletta’s pizza dough.