Member Spotlight: Pizza Con Amore

Leaving behind a secure career to start a food business is a leap of faith at the best of times. For Pizza Con Amore, the journey has involved more than just great pizza, it’s been a story of risk, setbacks, resilience and second chances.

From converting a van after just eight practice pizzas, to surviving COVID, selling the original business and eventually buying that same pizza van back, the journey has been anything but straightforward. What started as a dream to work for himself has grown into an Italian catering business providing pizza, live pasta bars, antipasti and Italian buffets at weddings, festivals, corporate events and major occasions.

At the heart of it all is a simple idea: Pizza Con Amore translates as “Pizza with Love”. For the team behind the business, that means creating more than a meal, it means bringing people together, creating memorable experiences and becoming part of some of life’s happiest moments.

We caught up with the founder to talk about the highs, lows and lessons behind building Pizza Con Amore, from a chaotic first event and the challenges of COVID to starting again, building a team and looking ahead to the future.

Tell us a little about Pizza Con Amore and the journey that brought you here.

Before Pizza Con Amore, I worked in social housing in a secure, well-paid career. I’d always wanted to work for myself, so I took what felt like a huge risk. I bought a van, converted it into a wood-fired pizza van and called it O Vesu Van Neapolitan Pizza.

Looking back, I was incredibly naïve. I genuinely thought watching YouTube videos and making eight practice pizzas was enough to prepare me for trading. It wasn’t.

Then COVID arrived just months after I started. I adapted to a takeaway model, but the part I loved most was being at events, meeting people and seeing the atmosphere around the van. Eventually I sold the business.

For a while I thought that chapter of my life was over, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d left something unfinished. I ended up buying my original pizza van back, launching Pizza Con Amore and starting again.

The name Pizza Con Amore translates from Italian as “Pizza with Love”, and that’s exactly what I wanted the business to be about. Not just great pizza, but bringing people together and being part of some of the happiest moments in their lives.

This time I had experience, confidence and a much better understanding of what it actually takes to run a successful catering business. Looking back now, I wouldn’t change any of it. Every mistake, setback and challenge helped build the business we have today.

Looking back, what were your biggest misconceptions about starting a food business?

That making great pizza was the hard part.

The reality is that’s probably only 20% of the job. The other 80% is logistics, preparation, customer service, marketing, bookkeeping, maintenance, staffing, ordering stock and solving problems you never expected.

I also underestimated just how much preparation goes into every event. Customers only see the few hours you’re serving. They don’t see the days beforehand making dough, shopping, prepping ingredients, cleaning equipment and organising everything behind the scenes.

Your first event sounds like a real baptism of fire, with queues of more than 100 people. What happened that day, and what did it teach you?

Complete chaos!

I’d made just eight practice pizzas before deciding I was ready for my first public event. Within minutes there was a queue of well over 100 people.

To make matters worse, I’d bought a generator but, in my excitement to get trading, I’d never actually tested it properly. On the day it simply wouldn’t work. I genuinely thought my first event was over before it had even begun.

Then something happened I’ll never forget. One customer was so determined to get a pizza that he started knocking on doors of nearby houses asking if anyone would let us plug in.

Thankfully someone said yes, we ran an extension lead and managed to get the lights, POS and fridges going and the oven fire started. Somehow we served everyone who’d queued.

It was complete chaos, but it also showed me the power of community. People wanted us to succeed, and that’s something I’ve never forgotten.

That day taught me that preparation is everything. Every event since then has been about improving systems, increasing efficiency and making sure customers have the best possible experience.

COVID forced you to completely change your business model. How did that period affect both the business and your own motivation?

COVID completely changed everything.

Like many caterers, events disappeared overnight. I switched to takeaway pizzas, which kept the business going, but I never enjoyed it in the same way.

What I love is the atmosphere of events. Seeing guests enjoying themselves, chatting while they wait for pizzas and being part of someone’s wedding or celebration. Sitting outside a takeaway unit just wasn’t the same.

It was a difficult period mentally because I’d left a secure career to do something I loved, and suddenly that part disappeared.

You made the difficult decision to sell your original pizza business. What was going through your mind at the time?

Honestly, I felt like I’d failed.

I’d invested everything into making it work, and selling the business felt like admitting defeat. At the time I genuinely believed I’d never own a pizza van again.

Looking back now, I realise I hadn’t failed. I’d simply run out of experience. Sometimes you need to step away before you’re ready to come back stronger.

You bought your old pizza van back and started again. What made you take that leap?

I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Every time I saw a food festival or another pizza van trading, I wondered what might have happened if I’d carried on.

When the opportunity came to buy my original van back, it felt like unfinished business. I knew I’d regret not trying again far more than I’d regret taking another chance.

That decision completely changed my life.

How different was launching Pizza Con Amore the second time around compared with your first attempt?

The biggest difference was experience.

I already knew the mistakes I’d made the first time, so I could fix them before they happened again. I invested in better systems, launched our own ordering app, improved our branding and focused just as much on customer service as I did the food.

Instead of trying to survive from one event to the next, I was building a proper business.

Within just a couple of months, what I’d expected to be a small side hustle had grown so quickly that I found myself handing in my notice and leaving my full-time career for a second time.

Since relaunching, you’ve expanded beyond pizza into live pasta bars, antipasti and Italian buffets. How important has diversification been to your growth?

It’s been huge.

Pizza will always be at the heart of what we do, but couples and corporate clients increasingly want a complete catering experience.

Adding live pasta bars, antipasti tables and Italian buffet options has allowed us to create an authentic Italian experience rather than simply serving pizza. It’s also opened the door to larger weddings, corporate events and more bespoke catering packages.

Looking back, do you think the setbacks were actually the foundation for your success today?

Without question.

At the time they felt devastating, but nearly every setback taught me something that still benefits the business today.

If COVID hadn’t happened, if I’d never sold the business or if that first event had gone perfectly, I honestly don’t think Pizza Con Amore would be where it is today.

Sometimes the lessons you don’t want end up being the most valuable.

You’ve catered at weddings, festivals and major events such as Trafalgar Square and London Marathon Events. Is there one event or achievement that makes you stop and think, “We’ve made it”?

Trading in Trafalgar Square was definitely one of those moments.

Standing there serving hundreds of people, surrounded by iconic London landmarks, it really made me stop and think how far we’d come.

What made it even more special was that we weren’t there because we’d paid a pitch fee or agreed to hand over a percentage of our sales. We were invited and paid to cater the event because of the reputation we’d built.

The same goes for many of our biggest bookings today. Guests try our food at a wedding, corporate event or private party, enjoy the experience and then book us for their own event. There really is no better marketing than exceeding people’s expectations.

You’re now looking at expanding with a second mobile unit or even a bricks-and-mortar site. What’s the long-term vision for Pizza Con Amore?

The goal is to build one of Kent’s best-known Italian catering brands.

In the short term I’d love to add a second mobile unit so we can cater multiple events on the same day.

Longer term, I’d love a permanent base where we can continue growing the catering side while creating a place people can visit. Whether that’s a restaurant, an Italian deli or something completely different, I want Pizza Con Amore to keep evolving without ever losing the quality, service and personal touch that got us here.

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking of leaving a secure career to start their own food business? 

Don’t be afraid to take the leap. You don’t need to have all the answers on day one. Sometimes the biggest lessons only come once you’ve started.

Practise more than you think you need to. Ask experienced traders for advice. Learn from everyone around you and accept that you’ll make mistakes because you will.

Most importantly, don’t undervalue your worth. There are plenty of event organisers who charge huge pitch fees or want a percentage of your takings. It can be tempting when you’re starting out to accept anything just to get your name out there, but don’t build a business that isn’t sustainable. If someone wants quality catering, it has to work for both parties. A fair partnership allows you to invest in better ingredients, better equipment and give customers the experience they deserve.

Focus on customer service as much as your food. We always say that once you’ve booked us, you shouldn’t have to worry about the catering again. We plan everything, communicate throughout and make sure every guest is looked after, including dietary requirements. Great food gets people talking, but great service is what gets you invited back.

I’m also incredibly proud of the team we’ve built. Some of our staff joined us at just 16 years old and are still with us today. Watching shy young people grow in confidence and become fantastic with customers has been just as rewarding as growing the business itself. Sometimes all someone needs is for somebody to believe in them and give them an opportunity.

And if I could speak to myself before that very first event, I’d simply say, “You’re nowhere near as ready as you think you are… but don’t give up. One day you’ll look back and laugh about this.”

The best marketing you’ll ever have is a customer who can’t stop talking about you. Focus on giving people an experience they’ll remember, and the bookings will follow.

Finish this sentence: Pizza is better with…

LOVE ❤️

That’s exactly what Pizza Con Amore means, and it’s at the heart of everything we do. Great pizza isn’t just about the ingredients. It’s about bringing people together, creating memories and sharing something special with the people around your table.