Every great food story starts with a spark, but ours started in the fast-paced kitchens of Chicago’s West Loop.
Before Sera was serving up airy, cloud-like Roman pinsa across the city, Paolo and Aly were working side-by-side in one of the most competitive culinary neighborhoods in the country. Surrounded by Michelin-starred giants and James Beard winners, they didn't just learn what it took to operate at the highest level of hospitality—they found a shared passion for creating something genuinely authentic.
The Spark (And a Gelato Machine)
In 2023, the dream began to take a physical shape inside their apartment. It didn't start with a massive pizza oven; it started with a single gelato machine. Experimenting with textures, flavors, and techniques after long shifts, they realized they wanted to build a concept of their own.
They wanted to bring a piece of Rome to Chicago, but do it their own way.
Two Paths, One Vision
By 2024, the plan was officially in motion, taking them on two distinct journeys across the Atlantic to gather inspiration:
Paolo headed straight to the source, immersing himself in pizza school in Rome to master the precise chemistry behind the perfect Roman dough.
Aly traveled throughout Europe, gathering inspiration, studying hospitality trends, and structuring the foundation of what would soon become Sera.
When they paired Paolo’s refined Roman technique with Aly’s vision and drive, the concept for Sera was locked in.
From a West Town Apartment to Chicago's Favorite Pop-Up
By January 2025, they were back in Chicago, stretching dough and testing recipes out of a West Town apartment for their very first team members. By April, the team at Kama in Wicker Park gave them a shot to run a Monday night pop-up.
What started as a single night a week quickly exploded. Chicagoans couldn't get enough of the light, digestible pinsa crust, elevated by the extra virgin olive oil sourced directly from Paolo’s family farm in Copadimonte, Rome.
Today, Sera has grown into a traveling celebration of Roman street food, hosting 4 to 5 pop-ups a week all over Chicago. But no matter how big the pop-ups get, it all goes back to two people working in the West Loop, dreaming over a gelato machine.