William Drepanis takes over neighboring pizzeria to expand family business

William Drepanis has taken over the pizzeria next door to his family’s Greek Island Diner on Route 25A, fulfilling a dream his late father had, riverheadlocal.com reported. This acquisition brings both restaurants under the same family ownership in the Little Bay Shopping Center.

William’s father, Andrew Drepanis, who passed away earlier this year after battling cancer, had long been interested in the pizza shop next door, which had changed owners several times. Andrew had worked in diners and pizzerias growing up in Queens.

William, 32, has a background working in the family diner since he was a teenager and returned to the restaurant business after exploring other careers. While running a diner was familiar, making pizza was a new skill he developed with help from experienced local pizza makers, including friends of his father.

His approach to the pizzeria focuses on quality basics such as making dough and sauce in-house, using high-quality mozzarella cheese, and achieving a crust with some crunch. He uses Grande cheese and has been perfecting the dough weight and yeast amount to create his desired Sicilian pie style.