Franco’s Pizzeria & Trattoria

Franco Forleo has been serving traditional homemade dishes for many years. His culinary roots take him back to his student years, working in a local pizzeria in lower Rosebank then known as, ‘La Pizzeria’. Working as a dinning room assistant he took the opportunity of learning the art of flipping pizza’s whenever he could. After completing his schooling in 1972, he did his one year compulsory military training, starting at the Valhalla Air Force Base in Pretoria. After basic training, the remaining nine months was spent at the SA Air Force College, serving ‘top brass’ functions. His culinary career continued when he joined La Pizza Restaurant in the then trendy CBD of Johannesburg. As a part-time worker, he subsidised a meagre banker’s salary. When he was asked to join ‘La Pizza’ full time he jumped at the opportunity of manning the busy pizza oven. Years later, Franco was given the opportunity of taking over this establishment.Throwing caution to the wind and plunging himself deep into debt,he took on this challenge. In 1987, Franco sold ‘La Pizza’ and after a few months of rest, found an insolvent, rundown restaurant in Parkview. This establishment was notorious for never having been successful, and Franco was frowned upon by locals as being just another who would come and go. A pizza oven was built and Franco began trading at the beginning of December of that year and has never looked back. With the help of his nephew Massimo and his now grown up sons, Franco jnr. and Ricky, Franco continues to serve and please, having become affectionately known as ‘the dining room of Parkview’.