Meet Ashley Stanzione

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Stanzione.

Ashley, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It all started in Miami. I am proud most of the time to be born and raised right here in the 305. A true local cat. Let’s fast forward to Gulliver Preparatory where I reluctantly transferred into after a brief stint at La Salle High School. I was so sad to leave, I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed terrorizing the nuns and clergy members. What I didn’t know then is it was the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me.

I met Franco Stanzione in 11th grade, THE MOST PIVOTAL MOMENT IN MY LIFE, my now business partner and husband. Back then we were instant best friends. We hung out at Riviera Pizza, Blockbuster and the skate park. We fell in love. I then went to NYC to study Art History and Fine Arts. I saw myself curating or owning my own gallery but as fate would have it shortly after graduating the one I love decided to open his own restaurant in our hometown. I told him I thought he was crazy and then, I quit my job.

It was out of an overwhelming sense of fear that I decided to follow into the darkness. New plan, restauranteur? “Okay”, I thought, “let’s do it”, on the one hand, this might be the dumbest thing we have ever done, on the other hand, there is no way you are going to pull this off without me. I often use the analogy of the mother who finds the strength to lift a car up when her baby is trapped inside, it was kind of like that. Unlike Franco who’s brazen sense of optimism blinded him from any whiff of defeat, I was plagued with all those restaurant statistics and all the minor details nevertheless I dove headfirst. I started with the design, then menu development, etc.

Dishwasher to prep cook, I have held all titles, learning as I go. After a thorough training at Stanzione 87, Ash! Pizza seemed like the next logical step, a new challenge.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If we are talking in terms of roads, my journey thus far has been peppered with detours, blocks, roadkill and yes, even sinkholes. Luckily, I do not ride alone. Franco and I have been fortunate enough to go through this treacherous adventure together often switching roles of driver and navigator.

We struggled constantly in the beginning, from a brutal construction process to daily operations. At 23, I felt ill-prepared and vulnerable in my new position. Every service felt like I was on stage with a full audience just glaring at me, piercing hot spotlights and not only was I naked I didn’t even know my lines. Simply said – I had no idea what I was doing.

I found managing my staff to be extremely difficult in the very beginning, finding that sweet spot in between merciless disciplinary and best friend. I was either too tough or too passive. But most of all, opening a concept-driven restaurant specializing in a style of pizza that was completely foreign to most.

Looking back on it, it was no wonder we were meet with such opposition, we were basically telling everyone “Hey you know your most beloved food, PIZZA, well forget everything you THINK you know about it because THAT isn’t pizza. THIS IS PIZZA. Plus, you’ve been eating it wrong, you’re welcome.” Oh also, “no pepperoni, no pineapple, no ranch, no substitutions, no, no, no, no, no, no.”

We were unwavering in our conviction and in our concept, which hurt us, but ultimately, the rigid rules that Neapolitan pizza adheres to gave us the structure that we needed, especially when everything felt so out of control. Stanzione 87 was an education, to say the least.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ash! Pizza Parlor, Stanzione 87 – what should we know?
I am the co-owner and founder of Stanzione 87 and Ash! Pizza Parlor.

Stanzione 87 specializes in very traditional Neapolitan pizza, small plates, and natural wines. It is a hidden gem in the heart of Brickell and recipient of “Best Pizza in Miami” by the Miami New Times.

Ash! Pizza Parlor is my new baby, we’re located in the Citadel food hall. While we also specialize in pizza, Ash! what I like to call Neo-Neapolitan pizza or New Neapolitan, a little less traditional and a lot more fun. “Respect the traditions while breaking all the rules” – that’s our tagline. Ash! is all the pepperoni, meat lovers, too much garlic and yes even pineapple; the most polarizing issue in pizza, is pineapple but it’s also a top seller. Ash! was founded with fun and rebellious spirit. We wanted to create a space that delivers all the nostalgia you crave without sacrificing on quality and care.

I am immensely proud of our product. It’s the kind of pizza I still find myself craving at all hours of the day, even still, over six years in. Our pizzas are rustic beauties perfumed with smoke and exquisitely charred. I’m proud of the culture we have cultivated specifically at Ash!, it’s sunny and cheeky and easy. I love all the interactions I have with guests, the good the bad and the ugly, it’s the best type of theater. I am excited to go to work in the morning, and I feel so fortunate that most of the time my work feels like play.

Do you feel luck has played a role in your life?
I am lucky to have met Franco Stanzione in zoology class and I am really lucky, I get to work with that stone cold fox every day.

Contact Info:

• Address: Stanzione 87
  87 SW 8TH ST
  Miami, FL 33130
  Ash! Pizza Parlor
  The Citadel
  8300 NE 2ND AVE
  Miami, FL 33138
• Phone: (786)360-1852
• Website: https://www.stanzione87.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashpizzaparlor/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/stanzione87/?hl=en

Image Credit:
Katie June Burton

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