Gerringong's Polpetta brings Connecticut-style pizza to NSW's south coast
Danielle Berger and Joe Russo opened Polpetta. By day it serves Connecticut-style pizza. At night it offers full Italian dining.
Polpetta replaced Ziggy's Pizza on Blackwood Street in Gerringong. It brings a new concept to the coastal town.
Danielle Berger is from south Sydney. Joe Russo is from Connecticut.
They met while working in upstate New York. Later they decided to return to Australia.
The restaurant works two ways. During the day it serves pizza and hoagies for takeaway.
At night it shifts to full Italian dining. Russo focuses on Connecticut-style pizza.
It has thin, crispy crusts from coal-fired ovens. This style barely exists in Australia.
He also serves hoagies, a New England staple. The restaurant's name is Polpetta, which is Italian for meatball.
The couple kept hearing a song with this name on a 1940s radio station. They were renovating their Connecticut house at the time.
Meatballs are Russo's signature dish. Much of the dining room art comes from the couple's personal collection.
- Danielle Berger, south Sydney
- Owner from
- Joe Russo, Connecticut
- Owner from
- upstate New York
- Met in
- Ziggy's Pizza
- Previous tenant
Why it mattersThe restaurant brings a regional American food style to coastal NSW. It shows how Australian dining grows through immigrant entrepreneurs.
AustraliaGerringong gains a new dining option as it heads into summer; food tourists may visit to try authentic Connecticut-style pizza unavailable elsewhere in Australia.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 4 h ago
