Friday, July 30th was an anniversary for Geno DiPaolo, owner of namesake pizza restaurant Geno D’s Pizza in 7th Street Public Market. He opened his first restaurant three decades earlier, and on that day nearly a decade ago, he stepped away from the restaurant he opened with his parents in New Jersey to move to Charlotte. On Friday, July 30, 2021, Geno D’s, the new concept he shares with his daughter, Gena, hosted its grand opening in Uptown.

When Geno was 25 years old, he opened a restaurant in New Jersey serving then-unheard of pies with crazy toppings, like breakfast pizzas and dessert pizzas. His creativity earned him popularity, but when he decided to move to Charlotte, he found restaurants were willing to pay only $10 per hour for him to make pizza. He worked at Bank of America stadium before meeting Pure Pizza owner Juli Ghazi and joining her staff. He became a fixture at 7th Street Public Market as he flipped pizzas in the Uptown food hall — so much so that his daughter, Gena, jokes they had to stack pizza boxes in front of him at Geno D’s so he’s less distracted by passersby. When Pure Pizza closed, the father-daughter team decided to bring their pizza to the market in its place.

“We looked at different places, but I like the market here,” Geno says. “I’ve been here for eight years, nine years. I know the market. I know what we need.”

Gena, now 25, says she grew up in the market with him. She’s worked with a handful of the vendors in the market, as well as learning from her father.

“I always wanted to carry on his legacy and prepare to be in his footsteps and learn everything I could,” she says. Her dad taught her how to roll dough and make sandwiches from a young age. Now, she’s taking the lead at Geno D’s Pizza.

The restaurant serves classic New Jersey-style pizza, with a doughy crust that’s been crisped on the outside and a sauce that has good acidity to it. Geno tops his pizzas with a drizzle of a house-made sauce similar to a pesto, though he won’t share the details. On the menu are classic 10-inch and 16-inch pies, with options like chicken parm and buffalo chicken or build-your-own. The New Jersey location of Geno D’s was known for its grandma-style pizzas, a thinner crust served as a 9-by-13-inch pie. For those who are on a low-carb diet, you can order pizza in a tin — a tin full of pizza toppings, sans crust.

“We’re getting more comfortable every day and every day is a stepping stone, but we’re just so excited to bring our version of pizza to Charlotte and help Charlotte feel more comfortable with Northerners,” Gena says.

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