Opening in June, Pizzeria 22 at 4217 s.w. College Street, will offer thin crust wood fired pizzas, a first for West Seattle.

The new restaurant, owned by Cary Kemp, will have a full service bar with european wine and beer plus spirits and will offer a range of Italian food including pizzas, calzones and salads.

The name comes from their "sister restaurant in Naples, Italy called Ventidue (Twenty two).

Kemp who as a boy was a carrier for the Ballard News-Tribune began making pizza in 1990 at Paisan on 1st in Belltown. From there he worked at Park Place Cafe, Trattoria Mitchelli's, Pogacha, The Bean Factory, Cafe Flora, and The Laughing Dog Cafe.

But to become a genuine expert Pizzaiolo he would have to travel to Italy, to the birthplace of pizza, in Naples. In 2002 he trained at world famous Sorbillo Pizzeria on Via Tribunali Street which opened in 1935, where he learned the secrets of true Neapolitan pizza making. "People come from all over the world to train and learn this style of pizza," Kemp said. "The earliest forms of pizza we know are around the 18th century and we think it comes from the word 'Pinch' in that they would pinch out the dough into a shape."

With that knowledge under his belt, so to speak, he returned to Seattle to help launch what is now a chain of Neapolitan Pizzerias in Seattle, Via Tribunali. Kemp was also central to the launch of Snoose Junction Pizzeria in Greenwood, and the certified VPN pizzeria Pulcinella with owner Vince Mottola. Kemp knows pizza.

His wood fired oven, made in Italy of course is heated to around 1000 degrees with "deck temperature" of about 850 degrees. The one size fits all 12 inch pizzas are cooked in approximately 90 seconds. You might be surprised to learn that they are not cut into slices. These are "knife and fork" pizzas, though if you like pizza scissors are available for cutting. An 8 inch happy hour pizza is possible however.

But traditional Italian pizza is street food and Kemp's knowledge and desire to make that a reality in Seattle led to his founding of Inferno Catering in 2005 as the Northwest's only Italian manufactured mobile wood fired pizza oven. While he won't have it at this July's West Seattle Summerfest, he expects to have it there in the future.

Kemp's career and interests extend beyond food however. For nine years he served as Tour Manager for Neil Young taking care of Young's needs on the road. In the business for 17 years he has worked with Heart, Pearl Jam and other local bands. "After I had young children I decided to come off the road and be around more so this was my passion."

Kemp said that Young knows about Pizzeria 22 and when he comes to Seattle this fall while on tour with his former band, Buffalo Springfield, he will try to get him to stop by for a visit.

Since pepperoni is the "number one selling food item in America," it's featured on the restaurant menu. Kemp said, "We eat 11 acres of pizza a day in America."
You can see the full menu online here.

"This is a place where the focus on the tradition of Neapolitan Pizza is taken very seriously. All of our ingredients are imported from Italy, from Naples. The Buffalo Mozzarella comes from Naples. There's inexpensive pizza and there's pizza where people use quality ingredients. That's going to be one of these places." Pizzeria 22 won't be a "sports bar with loud TV's. It will be elegant and comfortable, with Italian music (though as the night progresses it will become more modern).

Kemp plans to have a large painting of Mt.Vesuvius erupting on the back wall overlooking the space, with mirrors on both sides of the room and will have Italian pottery (he collects it) around the space. There will be seating for 36 to 40 people.

Pizzeria 22 will be open from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday they will stay open until 11:00 pm or Midnight.