Ecco Pizzeria: Meet the chefs behind the much-loved pizza restaurant celebrating 10 years in Headingley

Ecco Pizzeria has been serving authentic Neapolitan pizza to residents in Headingley and beyond since August 2013, using centuries-old wood-fired cooking techniques. The pizzas are topped with a range of fresh ingredients, from Italian classics to flavours inspired by cuisine from around the world.

Gelato chef Francesco Costanza, who has been with the business since it was founded, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “What we’ve been doing over the last 10 years is providing the most authentic Neapolitan pizza, but in a modern environment. It’s cooked using wood fire as the main fuel - no gas and no electric.

“You can come in however you like, you can dress down or dress up. Customers can expect the best service and attentive and knowledgeable front of house. And you get a full view of your pizza as it’s being cooked in front of you.”

At the head of Ecco’s kitchen is an Italian pizza chef with almost 40 years experience. Mohammed El-Abd grew up in Rome and got his first job in a kitchen at 24 years old. He has been trained by a famous Japanese pizza chef, worked at one of Rome’s top restaurants and even had the chance to meet the former president of Italy.

After he moved to the UK close to a decade ago, Mohammed joined Ecco as head pizza chef, bringing his traditional recipes with him.

The 61-year-old said: “The recipe is faithful to the original Neapolitan pizza that you can find in Naples and Italy. And I follow the traditional recipe for every type of pizza - for example, for a margherita I follow the steps A, B, C - and I don’t add X, Y or Z.

“I love the job itself. If you like the job, then you’re going to find success. A good pizza chef needs to love the job he does and he has to have the mentality where you’re never at the top, you’re always trying to push yourself.

“In all the places I’ve worked throughout my career, the thing I love the most is that people remember me - not just the pizza or the restaurant. They remember me as a person and that’s why they come back to me.”

Ecco has seen increasing competition in the Headingley area, but Francesco said the pizzeria’s wood-fired techniques, using an oven hand-crafted in Tuscany, are what sets the Otley Road restaurant apart.

He added: “Lots of competitors have appeared and the vast majority use gas. We still stay true to the authentic method of making pizza. From day one, we had a fantastic reception from the Headingley community and it’s continued to this day.

“We’re the go-to pizzeria for a lot of residents in the Headingley area and we’re part of the community. We try to help out as much as we can.

“I think people understand that when they come to an independent, it’s a family business - the family’s livelihood depends on it. It’s not a team of board members sitting around a desk with investors’ money. What you get with an independent is extra attention to detail and a genuine love and enthusiasm for the product. It’s not just about the bottom line.”