Michele grew up in the small town of Lioni in Irpinia, in the province of Avellino, about an hour from Naples. His was not a family of pizza makers.

Michele was brought up with good food that came from the green hills where he was born and from his family’s generation-long production of raw materials. From their wheat to their flour, bread was baked twice a week, and on Sundays, they made fresh pasta.
Michele began to make pizzas before the bread was baked, and since starting, he hasn’t stopped.

Michele began to pursue pizza by working in local pizzerias. Still unsure that this was his passion, he met Saverio Ciampi, who introduced him to the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani under their President, Sergio Miccu.

At 21, Michele took over his friend’s pizzeria. Not long after, he moved to Dallas in September 2012, where he initially planned to stay for only three months. Before he knew it, he had been there for two years.

In March 2013, Michele became the World Champion at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas for the “Italian Division,” a dream come true. With his new title, in April 2013, he went to Parma for the World Championship of Pizza, where he won 2nd place in the category “Pizza Napoletana DOC.”

In May 2014, Michele moved to Paris, but after four months, he decided to return to the US, where he established his collaboration with Orlando Food Sales, Mulino Caputo, and CIAO Tomatoes.