Teddy Diggs and the story of Coronato Pizza

Teddy was born into a military family and traveled across the country for much of his childhood, exploring foods and cultures native to the locations wherever his dad was stationed. He loved learning and experiencing regional traditions and cuisine and fell in love with food because of it’s ability to connect people. Teddy worked in the restaurant industry while in high school and he later attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After culinary school, Teddy worked in the top kitchens in Washington D.C., focusing on high-end Italian cooking. In 2009, he was lured to Martha’s Vineyard to run a restaurant group that focused on the Island’s sustainable fishing and farming efforts and also ran the dining programs for two of the island’s top hotels where he was fortunate enough to have many varied restaurant operation experiences, including cooking for many celebrities and President Obama. Teddy moved to Chapel Hill with his wife and two daughters in 2014 to operate the Siena Hotel and Il Palio restaurant as their executive chef and food and beverage director. While at the hotel, his hospitality team realized many achievements both locally and nationally including an invitation to cook at the James Beard House in New York City. After 5 years at the Siena Hotel, Teddy felt that his purpose and impact on the hospitality industry could be furthered if he opened his own project. He gravitated to Roman cuisine, specifically Rome’s pizza culture, and fell in love with the concept that is now Coronato.He and Wil spoke for over an hour and dove into everything from a breakdown of the history of pizza to his path to sobriety to the value of hard, stressful situations. This is a very authentic, thoughtful conversation. Enjoy...