ABOUT US
THE NAME ‘BASSANO’
The family name Bassano can be traced back 17 generations to Bassano del Grappa, in the Veneto Region of Italy. In 1540 the sons of Jeronimo Bassano - musicians and instrument makers, were invited to play at King Henry VIII’s court. Five of the brothers subsequently moved to England at the behest of King Henry and to sweeten the deal they were gifted Charterhouse Square as their residence. The Bassano brothers and their descendants remained court musicians for the next 200 years.
Co-owner Jennifer is a descendant of one of the brothers, Antonio Bassano.
Jennifer’s Grandmother, Enid and Great Grandfather, Frank Bassano emigrated from Birmingham, England to the West Coast in 1908.
THE PIZZA PARLOUR
Owners Jennifer and Nigel Mahoney purchased 27 Broadway in November 2023.
The exact construction date is unknown but it is one of the oldest remaining commercial premises in Reefton. After a lot of work, and an extensive fit-out, the pizza parlour opened it’s doors on 27th June 2024.
No strangers to the hospitality industry, Jennifer and Nigel opened their first restaurant in Christchurch in 1992 - The Opawa Shell Cafe & Bar.
For the past 22 years Nigel has worked as a commercial craft beer Brewer. Jennifer, born and bred in Reefton, finally convinced Nigel that they should purchase ‘a patch of dirt on the Coast’. A patch of dirt with a beautiful old shop on it!
THE PIZZA OVEN
Our Marana Forni pizza oven is imported from Verona, Italy. It is dual fuel - wood and LPG. The stone turntable and internal lining is a composite material using volcanic lava from Mount Vesuvius which gives incredible heat retention and efficiency. It is truly state of the art technology.
THE PIZZA BASE
Our pizza bases are Neapolitan style - a thin base with a crust. Each weighing 280gms they are approximatley 30cms in diameter and topped with quality ingredients. We use Tipo 00 flour from Molino Dallagiovana, Italy. Our dough is cold fermented for a minimum of 24hrs.