Author Archives: dk078733

Paulie Gee’s, A Taste of Naples
by Dale Kim

It’s everywhere you turn, on almost every corner and an icon here in New York City. That icon is pizza, yes, the cheesy, gooey, salty, crunchy slice of goodness that every New Yorker can relate to and complements the rapid on-the-go lifestyle that defines this city. A traditional New York City pie consists of 3 things, dough, sauce, and cheese, however at Paulie Gee’s they’ve taken a different approach with a personal pie, funky toppings, and a 900 degree wood burning oven. Listed at number 7 on the top-10 pizzas in New York City from seriouseats.com, Paulie Gee’s is making headlines after opening in 2010.

“I’ve lived my whole life wanting to do something I really loved,” said Paul Giannone.  Paulie Gee is what people call him around his neighborhood in Green point, Brooklyn. In a warm, quaint corner of a warehouse building lays Paulie Gee’s Pizzeria and the roaring wood burning brick oven from Naples made by famous oven-maker Stefano Ferraro. What makes this pizzeria so special is the personal pie that is filled with non-traditional toppings for pizza such as hot honey, arugula, maple syrup, Canadian bacon, and giancale. Paulie Gee’s is no ordinary pizzeria, they only make whole pies and are only open from 6:00PM to 11:00PM every day. The oven burns so hot in Paulie Gee’s that it takes 2-3 minutes to cook a pizza, the crust is charred and the cheese dances on the pizza while being delivered to your table.

Paulie Gee used to be a software developer for 30 years and decided one day that he would follow his passion, the one passion he had growing up was eating pizza in different parts of Brooklyn. “People saw that I had a real passion for food and encouraged me to do this. I knew that I could do this because I learned over the years that we all have seeds of greatness in us and we can do anything that we put our mind to. I know if you believe in yourself and commit to doing it that you could get things done,” said Paulie Gee.

What inspired Paulie the most was visiting other pizzerias that were taking a different approach to making pizza in New York, such as Roberta’s in Bushwick. He would go on pizza hunts with his sons, on a quest for the ultimate style of pizza. Paulie considers himself a “pizza enthusiast” and he is self-taught, he believes all it takes for a good pizza is “simple fresh ingredients and putting love in the dough.”

After being open for a short 4 years, Paulie Gee’s has changed the hearts and minds of many New Yorkers when they think of pizza. The Naples inspired personal pizza has forever changed the pizza landscape in New York City with the help of Paulie Gee’s passion for food. Paulie Gee’s passion is what drives his business model he said, “Pizza is very very simple, you make it one way, maybe you have to prepare some toppings. But other than that you’re making the dough which is challenging, but you’re making the dough putting it in the oven and taking it out, and that seemed appealing to me. That’s all I wanted, I just wanted to put those ingredients together, good ingredients on good bread, and to me that’s what pizza is.”

Paulie Gee’s

For my podcast I would like to think of doing it on NYC’s juice craze and how the trend continues to get more and more popular. I will be asking people who drink freshly made juice why they drink it, and delve into why it is so popular especially in NYC. Most new yorkers are on the go and sacrifice a lot of things because they are in a rush, drinking juice gives vitamins and missed micro nutrients in a quick and easy fashion. Some do it for health or medical reasons, while other do it for wellness, I will be visiting several juice bars and asking regulars about their opinion and reasons for drinking fresh juice.

For my photo essay I would like to follow a day in the life of the famous Arepa lady in Jackson heights. She makes lovely authentic colombian Arepas on 78th and Roosevelt late weeknights and always seems to have flare and passion for her delicious little Arepas. It amazes me how she can bring a taste of her country and most likely emigrated to America in hopes of a better life with her family. The Arepas alone are delicious and it would be great to cover her story with photos and the process of making these delights. Street food can be hit or miss and she definitely hit it big, it is these non traditional culinary finds that makes living in the city so great, and the people that make it.

For my potential topics I would like to choose basketball and food.

Ever since I was a kid I have followed the sport of basketball and used it wherever I went. Living in the Mecca of basketball where there isn’t much space for parks and open fields, there are basketball courts everywhere. I have grown up with a passion for the sport and its surrounding media, my aspiration is to be a sports writer or work in anything related to the game. Some people may view it as a sport, but I see it as a part of me and who I am, and the game itself has taught me many things about life.

I also have a passion for cooking and food and the New York City restaurant scene. It is hard to find as much access to great chefs and as many famous, excellent restaurants in one city. I am glad that I live in a city where there are trendy, creative, and profound culinary artists all around me. I am also a student of cooking as well, although still an amateur, I believe if we are going to live another oh lets say another 50 years on this planet, why not learn how to cook great food and enjoy life through each bite. Food is more than just nutrition, it encompasses all that make us human and gives us lasting bonds and memories that nothing else in the world can replace. Food can be beautiful if given the right perspective and I wouldn’t mind using media devices and photography to show that it is more than what is on the plate, it is everything from where it came from, to who prepared it, to the passion it was cooked with, finally to the person who is eating it. With all things in life, the more love that is put into it, the better the outcome.