Today’s episode was supposed to be a light-hearted conversation we recorded back in June with Dan Bavaro. He’s the owner of Bavaro’s Pizza, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The restaurant has five Tampa Bay locations, along with a successful line of sauces. Back in June, Dalia caught up with Dan at Bavaro’s downtown Tampa location during lunchtime. In that conversation, Dan shares lessons from his 15 years in the Italian food business.

Then in September, Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast before continuing its path of destruction across the Southeast. Bavaro’s Clearwater location got hit hard.

So on Oct. 4, Dalia called Dan for an update on how he, his staff and the building were doing. They spoke over Zoom.

If you’d like to support Bavaro’s employees during this difficult time, you can buy a gift card. For every card purchased, 40 percent goes back to the restaurant’s employee fund for team members displaced from Helene. You can also donate to the GoFundMe that’s specifically set up to help the restaurant’s Clearwater team members, who will be out of work for the foreseeable future.

This episode takes place in two parts: the first recorded back in June and the other recorded on Oct. 4, 2024.

Note: The episode was produced on Oct. 7, 2024, as Florida residents were still recovering from Hurricane Helene while also preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Milton.

Related episodes: