Meet Auggie

New York-raised Auggie ‘AJ’ Russo set out to shake up the conventional pizza shop, swapping in first a charming outdoor carbo-loaded speakeasy and next, a Catskills Mountains hideaway. Bringing to both his own signature kamikaze and frenetic energy complete with punk whimsy, colorful décor (hello, manual set up bowling alley, anyone?), pizza with Auggie always emphasizes the casual along with the sublime. The Tiny Pizza Kitchen, brought to life by Russo after a year into the pandemic, serves homemade whole Neapolitan pies and Sicilian pizza by the slice, all made with local ingredients and fired in his rustic outdoor oven.

Growing up with his Neapolitan grandmother, Russo spent much of his free time in the kitchen with family, assisting her with various prep work and tasks as part of bringing her beloved meals to life. As a youngster, Russo worked in a variety of shops and restaurants, eventually making it to Provincetown, Massachusetts. It was there he observed the ways of the kitchen and the people who make the magic, particularly the sauté chef – and fell deeper in love with the art of cooking. Russo went on to attend the prestigious Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island and soon after made a name for himself as a hungry, young chef in New York City. We said “sublime” before and we meant it — nothing that Auggie does is half-way.

After several years serving at high profile events across the east coast, Russo took a much-needed respite and redirected his interests towards a new love: video editing. He spent two decades working as a post production professional for a number of prestigious orgs and companies, focusing on film, television, and commercial productions. 

In 2020, as most of us hunkered down in the pandemic, Auggie returned to one of his original passions — pizza. Intended as a fun side hobby for the weekend, what eventually became the Tiny Pizza Kitchen took center state in his life, first in Brooklyn and now in Big Indian NY, where he commandeers Ralph’s Bar & Bowling at Urban Cowboy. His pies use fresh ingredients from across the region, are infused with his grandmother’s best recipes, and always have a wait list at the bar, where it’s first-come, first-serve, and the moans are audible as customers (locals and hotel guests) dig in with gusto.

Follow Auggie on Instagram and here for more adventures in pizza making. Never boring, always delicious, and sure as hell not so tiny anymore.