Andrew Thierry Bellucci (January 21, 1964 – May 31, 2023) was an American cook.

Life

Bellucci was born on 21 January 1964, in Jersey City, New Jersey. ^[1]

Initially developed his skills in the East Village, Bellucci's fascination with the history of pizza drove him to rediscover the heritage of New York's pizza-making, tracing its origins to Naples immigrant Gennaro Lombardi. ^[1] This led him to resurrect a defunct coal oven in Little Italy, persuading Lombardi's grandson to endorse a pizzeria bearing the family name. ^[1] Later, Lombardi's Pizzeria was established. ^[2]

Bellucci emerged as a distinguished figure in New York's pizza scene in the 1990s, crafting artisanal pizzas that later influenced a new generation of chefs. ^[1] His renown was overshadowed by an earlier crime involving embezzlement at a Manhattan law firm, leading to his arrest and a 13-month prison sentence. ^[1]

Following his prison sentence, Bellucci ventured through a phase of professional obscurity, later resurrecting his culinary career in Malaysia. ^[1] His return to New York saw him fulfill a lifelong dream of opening his own establishment, Bellucci Pizza, in Astoria in 2020. ^[1] Further developments included a legal dispute over the naming rights to Bellucci's initial pizzeria in Astoria, which was eventually settled in a federal court in December 2022. ^[2]

Bellucci died on May 31, 2023, due to a heart attack. ^{[3] [4]}

References