Step over, Nona. There’s an ever better Italian chef in town! And no, it’s not the pizzeria that just opened up down the street! It’s a dog!
We know, we know. How can a Golden Retriever be so good at cooking? Where did he learn how to cook like that? Perhaps the most pressing question: How does he cook without eating all of the food?
Well, let us tell you about good ol’ Giovanni the Golden Retriever. Giovanni came to America about 30 years ago with a dream to open up his own restaurant. But soon after arriving, he found out that is wife, Isabella, was pregnant with a litter. Giovanni was a gentleman and put his dreams on hold to care for his pregnant wife.
After she gave birth, they were responsible for even more puppies than they had originally planned. Â Many of the puppies were bossy and had behavioural problems. Giovanni realized that he couldn’t leave his wife alone with all of the puppies. They took turns looking after the mutts. Isabella would work in a local dog pound in the day. When she came home, Giovanni would go to work. He spent his night being a panhandler dog and stealing scraps to bring back to his family. His noble pursuits wore him thin and every day it seemed to take a little longer for the sun to rise.
Looking back on those days is hard for Giovanni. But he loves telling his story to inspire new immigrants; after all, his story is one of triumph. His children grew older and went off to obedience school. Being financially stable, Giovanni finally decided it was time to pursue his lifelong dream: To own a pizzeria.
At first, the building owner was reluctant to lease the store to a dog, but after some convincing and a few extra kibbles, Giovanni had his own place. He uses recipes that he’s created over the past 30 years being in America. His style is comparable to Nona’s with a hip New York twist. His restaurant has many positive review on Yelp and the neighbourhood has come to know him as Chef Giovanni Woof Woof.
While some come to taste the delicious pizza, most come to see a dog cooking. Giovanni’s new dream: To make his pizzeria less of a freak attraction and more of a high-end restaurant.
