Picazzo’s Gourmet Pizza & Salads will open next month on the northeast corner of Kyrene and Warner in south Tempe. It should be right at home – it occupied the space until last year.
Picazzo’s menu features healthy, natural, and organic pizzas, pasta dishes, and salads. Pizzas, for example, come with organic tomato sauce on a choice of whole-grain or gluten-free crust.
The high-quality ingredients come at a price: 12-inch pizzas are $14-$16 for thin crust and $19-$21 for traditional raised-edge crust.
The small Arizona chain began in Sedona in 2002 as Pizza Picazza. Founder Rick Freedman added locations in Flagstaff, Paradise Valley, and Scottsdale, where it’s dubbed Picazzo’s Organic Italian Kitchen.
Picazzo’s history in the East Valley has been less successful. It had a short-lived location at Stapley and Baseline in Gilbert. In June 2012, Picazzo’s sold its Tempe location, which was renamed Buon Gusto.
Buon Gusto, which had kept pretty much the same menu, closed last month.
