Pietro Vukelj, a native of Albania in Eastern Europe, operates a series of I Love NY Pizza, including this new one in Congress Plaza in Saratoga Springs. His cousin George Camaj is also an owner.
BY LIZ WITBECK
I Love NY Pizza has opened a new location
in Congress Plaza, at 26E Congress St.
This location follows many other I Love NY
Pizza locations in the area, including Ballston
Spa, Glens Falls, Albany, Schenectady and Troy.
All are independently owned.
Owner George Camaj and his cousin Pietro
Vukelj were born and raised in Albania in
eastern Europe. In 1996 they moved from
Albania to New York City. It was their dream
to run restaurants in the United States. For
several years they operated pizza shops in
New York City.
The cousins took a trip to visit family that
lived in Troy and fell in love with Upstate
New York.
“I came to visit family and I liked it,” said
Vukelj. “I liked the culture. It was more like
home. It was a better place to raise kids and
raise a family.”
Soon the cousins moved their businesses up
to the Capital Region. Over the years, they have
slowly expanded the I Love NY Pizza chain,
with different members of the family owning
and operating locations throughout the area.
Camaj wanted to open a Saratoga Springs
location to be closer to his own family.
I Love NY Pizza has many different pies to
choose from, including specialties such as the
tomato bacon ranch pizza, a broccoli ricotta
pizza, and a Philly steak pizza. The restaurant
also serves many gourmet dinners such as
chicken marsala, chicken piccata, linguini with
clams, and more. A variety of paninis, quesadillas,
calzones, hot and cold sandwiches, salads
and appetizers round out the menu.
When asked to name a favorite dish, Vukelj
could not think of just one.
“Everything is my favorite,” he said. “Because
if I don’t like it, I would not serve it to you.”
The family at I Love NY Pizza has years of
experience in the pizza industry. “Our quality
food sets us apart,” said Vukelj. “We have been
in this business a long time. We have a family
recipe. Everything is freshly made here. Nothing
is frozen.”
“Many people see other people opening up
pizza shops, and they think ‘Oh, if he can do
it, so can I.’ And they get in and get out very
quickly. The pizza business is very difficult.
But I love it. If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t be
here” said Vukelj.
The restaurant is also able to cater for any
event. I Love NY Pizza can cater conferences
and meetings at offices, as well as birthday
parties, anniversaries, graduations and more.
The restaurant can provide pizzas, wings, appetizers,
subs and more.
I Love NY Pizza is open Monday through
Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed on
Sundays. For more information or to place an
order, call 587-6666 or visit
www.ilovenypizzasaratoga.com/