Michele Rubini came to pizza-making later in life. As a native of Ischia, Italy, he was no stranger to the pie, but he was a graphic designer by trade. Then he happened upon a wood-burning stove in his in-laws’ backyard. “It was a weird situation because I was a graphic designer for so many years,” he tells InsideHook. “My wife’s parents have it and no one knew how to use it. So I got interested.”

He made pies for his family and friends, and lo and behold, one of those friends was the toque at L’Antica in Naples, who took Rubini under his wing. Soon after, Rubini realized, “You know what? It’s fun. I love it. And I say, OK, maybe I can do this as well.”