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Worthy Conversations: Charlie Green on the Remaking of Olivella’s
After relocating to a cozier space on Camp Bowie Boulevard, Olivella’s Pizza and Wine Shop has turned up the heat. Switching to take-out and delivery only, owner Charlie Green assures us that while their model has changed, Olivella’s famous Neapolitan pizza remains the same.
Photo courtesy of Olivella’s
Welcome back! Olivella’s has a new address. What do you like about this location?
Thank you! We now have a wine shop in our lobby with unbelievable prices on a great selection of wines. And directly across from Kincaid’s and the Showdown, we’ve got great neighbors, too.
In what ways have you had to adapt during the pandemic?
We now deliver, and that includes wine and beer. In other words, we can bring the entire Olivella’s experience to your home, office, or event space. We also do wine tastings daily out of our retail wine shop.
Phot Courtesy of Olivella’s
How would you describe “Neapolitan” and “Roman-style” pizza?
Neapolitan is that classic, round high-crusted Italian pizza. Roman is a super-thin flat oblong. Hard to find as thin a pizza as our Roman style.
Tell us more about Wing Wednesday. Are these wings “Roman-style” too?
In addition to traditional wing sauces, we offer house-made Italian-style sauces, though not specifically Roman or Neapolitan. Wings are half-off on Wednesdays.
How did Olivella’s come about?
It’s really not an idea or a concept so much as the fruit of very deep roots. Salvatore Olivella is a fifth generation pizzamaker from one of the oldest Italian pizza families. They have been making pizza in Naples, Italy since the 1920s.
Photo courtesy of Olivella’s
What is it about pizza and wine that brings people together?
A delicious dining experience that’s appealing to most of the population. To that end, our sommelier curates our wine offering and trains our staff to help customers find the best match for their food–whether Olivella’s or someone else’s.
If Fort Worth were one of your pizzas, which would it be?
I’m not going to say the Drunken Pig, though it is my new favorite! But because we love being a part of such an interesting and vibrant city, probably The Dream: tomato sauce, house mozzarella, pancetta, chicken, gorgonzola, and jalapeno.
You can only eat one item on the Olivella’s menu for the rest of your life. Which is it?
That’s like having to pick my favorite Beatles song. Well, USA Today didn’t name us Best Pizza in Texas for nothing. But if I had to choose a non-pizza item off our menu, I could eat our meatballs with house-mozzarella for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Although she prefers burnt orange to purple, Hannah Bush is happy to call Fort Worth her new home. She began freelance writing a few years ago to break up the monotony of her 9 to 5 and to prove to her parents that she’s making good use of her journalism degree. When she’s not hanging out with her cat, Hannah can likely be found on a patio with her fiancé, talking about her cat.
