A BRADFORD man’s first food business venture is booming and it already boasts a celebrity diner.

Andy Naylor, 42, opened up La Caverna Pizzeria inside the Sunbridgewells site, which features shops and bars and is located in the city centre, a few weeks ago.

It is the first business Mr Naylor has run himself after spending 20 years learning his trade at Angelo’s Restaurant and Pizzeria in Great Horton Road, Bradford city centre, including working as its head chef.

Singer Louise Redknapp stopped by at La Caverna after a performance of her Dolly Parton-inspired 9 To 5 musical at the Alhambra Theatre last month.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Louise Redknapp starred in the 9 To 5 musical in Bradford last month Louise Redknapp starred in the 9 To 5 musical in Bradford last month

She played Violet Newstead in the show, which ran for four days at the Bradford venue.

La Caverna offers 15 different toppings of pizzas, cooked using the pizzeria’s red wood fired oven. Some of the dishes include Pizza Diablo, featuring pepperoni and chillis and, in a nod to social media, Calzone Facebook, which includes rocket and cherry tomatoes.

Mr Naylor says he decided to open up his own pizzeria during last year’s initial lockdowns and his dream become a reality when Sunbridgewells re-opened in July.

He adds the first couple of months of trading have gone well and even welcomed a famous client.

The Bantams fan has also signed a deal with Bradford City to see adverts for his business appear on video screens at Valley Parade for the next two months.

 

Mr Naylor, of Horton Bank Top, says the footfall from Bradford city centre, including the reopened Alhambra and St George’s Hall, will also boost his trade. He said: “It’s only early doors, we will see what happens over the next few months.

“I’m from Bradford, I have lived here all my life.

“I thought over the lockdown that I saw it was up for rent and I thought ‘it is now or never’. So far, it’s all good. I’m absolutely loving it.

“We had Louise Redknapp in here a few weeks ago after her show at the Alhambra and had performers from the Hairspray show.

It has an open kitchen and the customers can see me throwing the pizzas around. It’s a good thing for the customers to see

“I do the cooking but I have a couple of people who work for me.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Andy Naylor, owner of La Caverna Pizzeria at SunbridgewellsAndy Naylor, owner of La Caverna Pizzeria at Sunbridgewells

“I worked for Angelo’s for 20 years. I learned the language and learned how to cook.

“We have a lot of people come in on a Saturday when Bradford City are playing at home.

“It’s mainly dine-in. The pizzeria has candles and tealights and you wouldn’t know you were in Bradford city centre.”

Mr Naylor says he would like to maintain the business in Bradford but has ambitions to possibly expand to another site in Leeds city centre in the future.

La Caverna Pizzeria is open Tuesday to Fridays between 4pm and 10pm and on Saturdays from noon to 11pm.

Sunbridgewells’ attractions include a host of bars and businesses selling food and drink. These include The Gin, Rum and Champagne Bar, which was formerly known as The Gin Bar.

The £1.9million complex opened to the public in December 2016, with more than 20,000 visitors in its first two weeks.