One bite of pizza in Rome was all it took to ignite the culinary spark that would lead to Piccolo Buco by Cooper’s Hawk.
With three locations in Illinois and one in Tampa, this newest Piccolo Buco located in Coconut Point in Estero opened in July, bringing a modern interpretation of Roman and Neapolitan-inspired Italian dining.
The concept traces its roots to Rome, where chef and owner Luca Issa operates the original Piccolo Buco near the Trevi Fountain. Cooper’s Hawk founder Tim McEnery discovered the intimate pizzeria while traveling through Italy in 2019 and was immediately captivated by its distinctive pizza. After meeting Issa, McEnery proposed bringing the concept to America. Issa researched Cooper’s Hawk, reached back out and soon traveled to Chicago, where the two began their collaboration…