Pizza from Licari's Sicilian Pizza Kitchen, Grand Rapids.
Gianni and Lisa Licari's photo of Bobby Flay.
GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WZZM) - Celebrity chef Bobby Flay brought his "Three Days to Open" reality show here this spring - and the results will be seen Friday night on The Food Network.
Flay helped Gianni and Lisa Licari open Licari's Sicilian Pizza Kitchen in April. The show's production schedule prompted the couple to cram two months of pre-opening prep work into about two weeks.
Gianni Licari said Wednesday the experience was "nuts," but "priceless."
Flay's crew was demanding, Lisa Licari said. "They controlled every second of our day," she explained. "They gave us our bathroom breaks."
They also gave them some excellent ideas and advice they say has helped the small restaurant on Knapp, NE get off to a great start.
Just 1.4 miles away is another small, family owned, pizza-themed restaurant that opened in April. Gus's Original owner Matt Koukious has been in the industry for decades with The Red Hot Inn. He's thrilled with finally having a place to call his own.
"We're trying to take fast casual to a new level" Koukious said Wednesday.
He said Grand Rapids is a great market for restaurants. "The national chains have forced the independent owners hand, to do a better job."