When it comes to gathering the best cheese, sauce and toppings for the perfect pizza, Sal Sparacio believes the most important ingredient is love.
“The main thing my mother and father always said is, ‘You’ve gotta make them feel the love,’” said Sparacio, owner of the 2018 Montco’s Best Pizza Tournament Champion, Bravo Pizza in Worcester. “They’re not customers, they’re family. You’ve got to be personal with them, and loyal to them. If you put love, quality, and cleanliness into it, you know your business will be successful.”
Bravo has been family-owned since 1995. Born in Sicily, Sparacio’s parents came to America in the late 1970s to work in a relative’s pizza place in Queens, New York. The family relocated to Pennsylvania in the 1980s.
“My parents always desired their own place, and we just fell in love with the area,” Sparacio said. “The people here are so nice. The land is so beautiful, and we knew we could use a lot of natural ingredients.”
His parents’ passion is why Sparacio wanted Bravo to win the pizza contest.
“They put in 15-hour days, seven days a week, but they smile every day because they truly love what they do,” he said. “For more than 20 years, our customers have known we love them.
With fresh, homemade dough, Bravo is known for its variety and specialty pizzas like the Baked Potato, or the Corn Pizza with fresh prosciutto, olive oil, butter, and ricotta.
“We’re so thankful to the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board, and our customers, for letting people know we’re here in this small, bustling area,” said Sparacio. “Winning didn’t change who we are, it was just an acknowledgement, a recognition. Now, we just want to continue to live up to that.”
