By Christine Graf<\/p>\n
Six months after closing the Halfmoon Sandwich Shop, partners Melissa Craine and Sean Lee opened Bella Lucia Pizzeria at 1218 Route 146 in Clifton Park.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The couple previously owned Rocco\u2019s, a fine dining establishment in Jonesville.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before closing their Halfmoon eatery in August, they had attempted to purchase the building that they had leased for 15 years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were really confident that we would be able to purchase the sandwich shop building on Route 9, but unfortunately we were unable to come to terms that would have been beneficial to both parties,\u201d said Craine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By that time, they had already purchased the Route 146 property with plans of opening a second restaurant, a pizzeria. The unexpected closing of the sandwich shop presented them with the opportunity to focus all of their energy on Bella Lucia.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring that time, we went down to (New York City) to a pizza school in Staten Island called Goodfellas Pizza School. For us, it was a refresher, a confidence booster, and a way to get some extra know-how,\u201d said Craine. \u201cEven though we have been in the restaurant industry in many different facets for many years, pizza is new to us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span>Although Bella Lucia is billed as a pizzeria, the menu includes more than pizza and calzones. It also features hot and cold sandwiches, salads, wings, appetizer, pasta dinners, and chicken dinners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The restaurant does not serve alcohol.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s called a pizzeria, but we don\u2019t ever like to stick ourselves inside of one box. That\u2019s just not who we are. Cooking is a craft, and we are artists as far as we are concerned,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are going to continue serving the best ingredients, great combinations, and good food.\u201d<\/p>\n The bread that is used for their sandwiches is delivered fresh each day from Rockland Bakery which is located just outside of New York City. Their pizza dough will be made in-house from a recipe that Lee spent three years perfecting. A gluten free option will also be available.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI believe that people are really going to enjoy our pizza,\u201d said Craine. \u201cFor me, you can\u2019t have the flop and you have to have the crunch. I\u2019m from Long Island, and as far as I\u2019m concerned that\u2019s what true pizza is. Aside from importing water from down state, this is as close as you are going to get to a true New York pizza.\u201d<\/p>\n Bella Lucia also has a\u00a0 <\/span>catering menu that will include everything from party heroes to chicken, pasta, and meat entrees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n On-site dining is available, and the pizzeria is be staffed by 12 employees. Eleven of those employees were previously employed at the Halfmoon Sandwich Shop.<\/p>\n Craine and Lee purchased the Bella Lucia property in October 2021 from the owners of Stromboli\u2019s Pizza and Grill. Although the previous owners had completely renovated the building, they were never able to open their doors due to health-related issues.<\/p>\n \u201cThe building was turnkey when we bought it,\u201d said Craine. \u201cEverything in there was brand new. We just went in and painted, put up new lighting, and expanded the counter.\u201d<\/p>\n Craine said she is hopeful that the loyal customer base that they built over the past 15 years at the Halfmoon Sandwich Shop will embrace the pizzeria and all it has to offer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really devastating to have to close the sandwich shop because we had so many customers who really became like family. It wasn\u2019t until we closed that I realized what an impact our restaurant made on the community. We are very hopeful that the supporters of the sandwich shop will come with us to the new location.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cThere are about 92 restaurants in Clifton Park, so we know that the competition is steep. We are confident that the relationships that we have formed with the community over the last decade and a half are going to carry us through. Right now, we\u2019re feeling very excited and thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n Although she and Lee have no immediate plans of opening another new restaurant, she said it\u2019s not out of the question.<\/p>\n Bella Lucia Pizzeria is open Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 7 p.m. It is closed on Monday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For more information, visit bellaluciacliftonpark.com. The phone number is 518-371-2902.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Christine Graf Six months after closing the Halfmoon Sandwich Shop, partners Melissa Craine and Sean Lee opened Bella Lucia Pizzeria at 1218 Route 146 in Clifton Park.\u00a0 The couple previously owned Rocco\u2019s, a fine dining establishment in Jonesville.\u00a0 Before closing their Halfmoon eatery in August, they had attempted to purchase the building that they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n