OPINION

REX NELSON: The pizza man

I was visiting with one of the civic leaders of Hot Springs when the subject turned to the rebirth of the Spa City's downtown. We began talking about a Brooklyn native who showed up in Hot Springs almost four years ago, hit the ground running and hasn't slowed down since. My lunch companion said, "We're lucky to have gotten that guy."

"That guy" is Anthony Valinoti of DeLuca's Pizzeria on Park Avenue. Food enthusiasts across the state think he turns out the best pizza in Arkansas. Some have even proclaimed DeLuca's to be among the best pizzerias in the country. It's quite a story for a former Wall Street banker who landed in Arkansas in 2013.

I arrived at DeLuca's before the 4 p.m. opening time on a recent Thursday. I mentioned that I had come from a lunch meeting that day, but the demonstrative Valinoti gave me a hug and then insisted on bringing me a Caesar salad along with several meatballs to snack on while we visited.

"I'm very, very lucky to have chosen this place," he said in his thick New York accent. "I don't think I could have made this work anywhere else. The people of Hot Springs simply refused to allow me to fail in those early days when I really didn't know what I was doing. I'm not a chef. I'm a kid from a blue-collar family in Brooklyn. My style is to put my head down and get to work on whatever project I take on. I should have declared this a failed experiment and quit during the first year. But I couldn't quit because I knew how many people in Hot Springs were pulling for us. I didn't want to let anyone down. I'm still that way. If someone comes in here to eat, I want to make sure that we don't let them down. I walk around the room asking them what they think. If they have a suggestion, I take it to heart."

Valinoti, 54, decided as a child that he would one day work on Wall Street. His father was a truck driver and a policeman. Valinoti indeed worked on Wall Street for 13 years and made good money. Something was missing, however. Even though the paychecks were large, the work ceased to be rewarding. Valinoti quit his job and moved to Las Vegas. Though Sin City had its charms, Valinoti still wasn't fulfilled. A friend from California, who developed shopping centers for a living, was visiting in Las Vegas one day and said, "If it weren't for my ex-wife, I would live in Hot Springs." The man told Valinoti about an old resort city in rural Arkansas that had, in a sense, been Las Vegas before there was a Las Vegas.

Valinoti was intrigued. He booked a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Little Rock the next morning, rented a car upon arrival and drove to Hot Springs. "I knew immediately that I was home," Valinoti said. "I couldn't believe that I had never heard of this place. I was overcome by its charm and felt more relaxed than I had ever felt before. I knew within a few hours that I would move here and start a business."

In cities across the country, Valinoti found himself frustrated with the inability to find pizzas like the ones he grew up eating in Brooklyn. He's quick to admit that he has a short attention span and needed a new project. Valinoti began experimenting with how to make Brooklyn-style pizzas, found space in a building on a stretch of Park Avenue that has seen better days and opened the doors of DeLuca's with six tables on Nov. 22, 2013. He admitted to me that he locked himself in the men's room that afternoon. "I was terrified," he said. "I couldn't believe that I had the hubris to do this. The idea of feeding other people had sounded good as a general concept, but then I actually had to do it."

Valinoti eventually unlocked the restroom door, came out and fed several hungry patrons that night. He continued to perfect his methods, especially the way he makes the dough. Within months, foodies across the state were talking about this new spot in Hot Springs.

The huge fire that consumed what remained of the oldest section of the Majestic Hotel just down the street occurred the following February. The power at Deluca's went out that Thursday night, and the street was blocked by emergency vehicles. But rather than being a setback to the neighborhood, the fire proved to be a wake-up call for Arkansans. Feb. 27, 2014--the night of the fire--proved to be the beginning of the ongoing renaissance of downtown Hot Springs. And DeLuca's, which now draws customers from across the region, has been a key part of that renaissance.

"I learn more about this city and love it more with each passing day," Valinoti said. "The Majestic fire was awful, but I saw hope and optimism in the wake of that event. Look at all of the buildings that are being sold downtown. Look at the developments that are now taking place. People told me that I shouldn't open a business on Park Avenue, but sometimes it takes an outsider to see what other people can't see. Now there are people walking down here at night from the hotels on Central Avenue. They feel safe. I'm hoping to see more businesses on this street. I had a guy in here the other day who had ridden his motorcycle 112 miles just to eat here. Those kinds of stories keep me going."

Like me, Valinoti hopes the city of Hot Springs will develop outdoor thermal pools on the Majestic site, which finally has been cleared of debris. He believes that will bring even more visitors his way. Summing up the past four years, Valinoti said: "It's serendipity that I'm in Hot Springs. You know, the fork in the road sometimes takes you to where you're supposed to be."

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Freelance columnist Rex Nelson is the director of corporate community relations for Simmons First National Corp. He's also the author of the Southern Fried blog at rexnelsonsouthernfried.com.

Editorial on 05/10/2017

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