When in New York, you do as New Yorkers do. For Aaliyah, that meant grabbing lunch at a pizzeria near the WNBA Draft in Midtown Manhattan.
As she slipped under the crisp, red awning of the restaurant, Aaliyah quickly realized: Don Antonio was no ordinary pizzeria.
The dreamchild of two legends—Roberto Caporuscio and his mentor Antonio Starita, whose Starita a Materdei has been a Naples institution for generations—Don Antonio has been serving authentic Neapolitan pies to New Yorkers since 2012.
The unmistakable pulse of passion that drives New York City was even stronger on the morning of April 14th, a tough feat for a city that never sleeps.
It was WNBA Draft day, and Washington Mystics’ Aaliyah Edwards— in town for the festivities—took some time to soak in the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Big Apple before the big event.
New York has a certain fire, a hustle mentality that always makes you feel like your big break is just around the corner. That feeling kept pace with Aaliyah as she moved through the city—excited about what the night would mean for her, her team, and the league she was helping to shape.
So, it was no surprise that when she stopped for lunch, Aaliyah crossed paths with another barrier-breaker who knew a thing or two about chasing excellence and leaving a mark, one pizza at a time.
“We had to make sacrifices to build ourselves up,” Aaliyah said, “but the blessings are coming now.”
For Giorgia, those blessings have come in the form of successes bigger than she ever imagined, achieving milestones people once told her were impossible.
“Everyone says, at some point you’ll need to stop because you’re going to have a family and women can’t be successful like men,” Giorgia said.
Once again, she proved them wrong—winning Pizza Maker of the Year, lecturing at Harvard University on the science, tradition, and craft of pizza-making, and perhaps most surprising to her early critics: welcoming two sons, born just 15 months apart.
Inside the cozy, rustic space, Giorgia wasted no time getting Aaliyah’s hands dusted with flour. Turns out, the process of making Neapolitan pizza has more in common with playing basketball than you might think: it's part science, part art. In both, the fundamentals have to be second nature before you can get creative.
As they stretched and shaped the dough, the two swapped stories. Giorgia shared how she came to New York from Italy after high school, unsure of her path. She started working at her father’s pizzeria, and quickly fell in love with the craft.
“Some of the other employees were making fun of me because I was a woman,” she recalled. “And I said, ‘I’ll show them I can make better pizza.’”
Aaliyah offered a high-five, reflecting on her own journey—from a small-town kid in Kingston, Ontario, to one of the WNBA’s most promising young stars.
But it’s Roberto’s daughter, Giorgia, who took the reins and catapulted Don Antonio to new heights, making it one of the city's most celebrated pizza destinations.
Under Giorgia’s leadership, the restaurant introduced innovations like pizza fritta (fried pizza—a Neapolitan street food classic) alongside nearly 30 different styles of pizza. The accolades followed fast: Pizza Maker of the Year in 2024 and consistent rankings at the top of New York’s best pizza lists by New York Magazine, Food Network Magazine, and Food & Wine.
309 W 50th St. New York, NY 10019
As the pizzas baked to perfection in Don Antonio’s blazing wood-fired oven, Aaliyah and Giorgia reflected on the importance of representation, especially for women breaking into male-dominated spaces.
When the final pies emerged, there was only one thing left to do: dig in. Over bites of gooey mozzarella and velvety hot tomato sauce, Aaliyah got a true taste of New York and a very memorable reminder.
Whether it's in a kitchen or on a basketball court, the formula is the same: stay true to your craft, believe in your vision, and never be afraid to do things your own way.
309 W 50th St. New York, NY 10019
But it’s Roberto’s daughter, Giorgia, who took the reins and catapulted Don Antonio to new heights, making it one of the city's most celebrated pizza destinations.
Under Giorgia’s leadership, the restaurant introduced innovations like pizza fritta (fried pizza—a Neapolitan street food classic) alongside nearly 30 different styles of pizza. The accolades followed fast: Pizza Maker of the Year in 2024 and consistent rankings at the top of New York’s best pizza lists by New York Magazine, Food Network Magazine, and Food & Wine.
The unmistakable pulse of passion that drives New York City was even stronger on the morning of April 14th, a tough feat for a city that never sleeps.
It was WNBA Draft day, and Washington Mystics’ Aaliyah Edwards— in town for the festivities—took some time to soak in the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Big Apple before the big event.
New York has a certain fire, a hustle mentality that always makes you feel like your big break is just around the corner. That feeling kept pace with Aaliyah as she moved through the city—excited about what the night would mean for her, her team, and the league she was helping to shape.
So, it was no surprise that when she stopped for lunch, Aaliyah crossed paths with another barrier-breaker who knew a thing or two about chasing excellence and leaving a mark, one pizza at a time.
When in New York, you do as New Yorkers do. For Aaliyah, that meant grabbing lunch at a pizzeria near the WNBA Draft in Midtown Manhattan.
As she slipped under the crisp, red awning of the restaurant, Aaliyah quickly realized: Don Antonio was no ordinary pizzeria.
The dreamchild of two legends—Roberto Caporuscio and his mentor Antonio Starita, whose Starita a Materdei has been a Naples institution for generations—Don Antonio has been serving authentic Neapolitan pies to New Yorkers since 2012.
Inside the cozy, rustic space, Giorgia wasted no time getting Aaliyah’s hands dusted with flour. Turns out, the process of making Neapolitan pizza has more in common with playing basketball than you might think: it's part science, part art. In both, the fundamentals have to be second nature before you can get creative.
As they stretched and shaped the dough, the two swapped stories. Giorgia shared how she came to New York from Italy after high school, unsure of her path. She started working at her father’s pizzeria, and quickly fell in love with the craft.
“Some of the other employees were making fun of me because I was a woman,” she recalled. “And I said, ‘I’ll show them I can make better pizza.’”
Aaliyah offered a high-five, reflecting on her own journey—from a small-town kid in Kingston, Ontario, to one of the WNBA’s most promising young stars.
As the pizzas baked to perfection in Don Antonio’s blazing wood-fired oven, Aaliyah and Giorgia reflected on the importance of representation, especially for women breaking into male-dominated spaces.
When the final pies emerged, there was only one thing left to do: dig in. Over bites of gooey mozzarella and velvety hot tomato sauce, Aaliyah got a true taste of New York and a very memorable reminder.
Whether it's in a kitchen or on a basketball court, the formula is the same: stay true to your craft, believe in your vision, and never be afraid to do things your own way.
“We had to make sacrifices to build ourselves up,” Aaliyah said, “but the blessings are coming now.”
For Giorgia, those blessings have come in the form of successes bigger than she ever imagined, achieving milestones people once told her were impossible.
“Everyone says, at some point you’ll need to stop because you’re going to have a family and women can’t be successful like men,” Giorgia said.
Once again, she proved them wrong—winning Pizza Maker of the Year, lecturing at Harvard University on the science, tradition, and craft of pizza-making, and perhaps most surprising to her early critics: welcoming two sons, born just 15 months apart.