The Moment with Brian Koppelman: Anthony Mangieri
What were your first obsessions in life [before pizza]? BMX, hardcore music, skateboarding. Which then leads to other things. I was into self-reliance, an outsider, and clean living [straight edge].
I never did good at school.
Pain could be helpful. It is the key to having that inner something. The loneliness, suffering, self-doubt makes life hard but it also gives you inner fire. No one can take that fire away. You are unstoppable because you suffered at a young age.
There an element of luck that you have this spark inside you. A drive to do something.
I never went to school for cooking. I’m not a trained chef. I wasn’t a restaurant guy. I just approached it as I’m here to make pizza because that’s what I want to do. I had nothing to lose.
My idea was this is the way pizza should be. I based my perspective on going to Italy and then reading every book I could find on the history of Naples and pizza.
My mentality was wanting to take something further. To get deep into it. I feel if you are going to do something you should know every single thing about what you do.
I still feel shocked that people come into the restaurant.
You can create your own bubble in life. I don’t watch tv or read the newspaper. I’ve created the world I live in.
The key to everything is be true to yourself. If you are true to yourself you can do great things. For good and for bad. Keep that as your pathway.
How to figure out what you really want/ who you really are: Shut everything else out. Stop with social media. Stop with what you think you are supposed to be. Find who you are supposed to be. It is a hard time right now because the world is trying to tell you who you are supposed to be.