Folino's

Folino’s Pizza opened March 14th, 2012; we did not tell anyone, nor did we have an open sign on the road. We sold 8 pizzas. In the summer of 2013, we were selling anywhere from 250 to 350 pizzas on a nice Saturday. We can now make over 60 pies per hour if need be.

Our Process

Our mission is to make the best pizza. Our crust is “naturally leavened” which means we don't use commercial yeast. We keep a starter (leaven) alive which is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. This beneficial bacteria works slowly to develop a deep, complex acidity. The natural wild yeasts metabolize sugars to create the perfect carbon dioxide bubbles, resulting in a crust that is incredibly light, airy, and easy to digest.

We treat our dough with the respect it deserves. We use a specialized diving arm mixer to mimic the gentle touch of human hands, developing the gluten without over-stressing the flour. Every single dough ball is hand-rolled at our Burlington hub and goes through a three-day cold proof before traveling to our five neighborhood locations.

We use pure and clean ingredients. Our sauce is just crushed plum tomatoes and salt. We make all of our sauces from scratch, cook all our proteins from raw, make our spice blends, shred our own cheese and cut all our vegetables fresh. We don't use fillers, we don't take shortcuts.

Our ovens are dual-fuel using a mix of liquid gas and local wool to ensure an even and sustainable cooking source. We bake our pizzas at 640°F for 4 to 5 minutes, achieving that elusive balance of a crisp exterior and a tender, soulful crumb.

This meticulous and crafted process results in a pizza that has been voted Vermont's Best Pizza since 2023 and adored by the communities we serve.