In a town full of foodies, Chicago pizzamaker Jonathan Goldsmith’s pies rise to the top at his restaurant, Spacca Napoli, located in Ravenswood on Chicago’s North Side. The eatery spent several years on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list and an Italian-based website ranked it among the best pizza in the world in 2023.

At the beginning of 2025, the restaurant was named the best pizza in town at the local Banchet Awards. Days later, Goldsmith underwent surgery for stomach cancer. As the year wraps up, we checked back in with Goldsmith to see how his recovery is going and took a look back at the restaurant’s journey.