Sweet Tomato's Brick Ovens Churn Out Fresh Pizzas

A native French man with a self-described passion for good food is firing up pizzas in St. James' newest Italian restaurant. 

Gilles Clusel, owner of Sweet Tomato Brick-Oven Pizzeria & Grill, is finding his restaurant's niche offering an array of crispy thin-crust pizzas and more classical Italian fare after opening in October. 

"I'm French and food is very important to French people," Clusel said. "If you don't use fresh ingredients, how do you expect it to taste good at the end?" 

Clusel and his wife, Alison, purchased the former Attillo's Grill after moving back to Mount Sinai after raising their daughters in France. Clusel formerly owned a successful French restaurant and nightclub in Huntington, NY with experience overseas decided to try a new venture. 

"Everyone eats pizza and people love their pizza. If they eat good pizza, they know it," he said. 

The storefront was closed for roughly 10 weeks as it was transformed and custom-built brick ovens were installed into the kitchen. The brick ovens with side and top burners can heat up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit allowing a pizza to be cooked in roughly 3 - 4 minutes, according to Gilles. 

"The way you are making a pizza has a big difference in the end," he said. 

The result is Sweet Tomato has a unique, thin crust pizza that Gilles said he will only put freshest ingredients on, buying what he can locally based on taste, not looks. 

One of the features of Sweet Tomato's pizzas is the Crispo, a thin-crust pizza with cheese that's cooked, then topped with fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato and roasted red peppers before being put back into the oven to be heated and let the toppings settle in. 

There's a new chef in the kitchen at Sweet Tomato's since it's opening. While originally the chef for Attillio's agreed to stay on board, Guilles said, he brought on new chef who formerly worked for Mario's Italian Pizzeria in Setauket. 

Gilles said he hopes Sweet Tomato can be a family restaurant in St. James, offering specialty pies, selling by the slice and personal pies made-to-order for children. 

"We are aiming to be a casual, family Italian restaurant," he said. 

Sweet Tomato offers dine-in and take-out menus with deliver, along with space for private and holiday parties and catering. It is located at 430 North Country Road in St. James.