In 2007, Bushwick favorite Roberta’s was an empty cinderblock bunker rented from an Orthodox Jewish couple, pleased that the space was being leased for a pizza place. Five years later, the bunker is an eatery with a rooftop garden, named one of Bon Appétit’s 20 Most Important Restaurants in America, with a name synonymous with a certain brand of Bushwick. Now, the guys behind Roberta’s have a cookbook, full of recipes for their pizzas, pastas, meats, and desserts, punctuated with photos and stories from the early days when chef Carlo Mirarchi cooked with a toaster oven and a butane burner. We spoke with Mirarchi about the new cookbook (in stores October 29), the restaurant’s fast ascension, and the past five years in Bushwick.
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