Frank Kabatas, East Village Pizza and Living The American Dream

Written By Peter Reinhart

Monday, 23 March 2026 Pizza Quest Webisodes | Webisodes

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Frank Kabatas is living the true American dream. He came over from Turkey 25 years ago and found a job in NYC, quickly got fired, but refused to give up. Within a few years he owned his own pizzeria, East Village Pizza (the very place from where he had been fired), and has grown it into an award winning, highly successful and popular operation. During this time he learned a lot of valuable life lessons and continues to grow, both as a pizza artisan and, also, in his generosity, sharing his success with others as a philanthropist and mentor. Frank’s story reminds me that the American dream is still possible for those who have moxie, a desire and ability to learn and work hard and, most especially, resilience. He shares his amazing journey with us in this episode. As you will hear, his story is inspiring and will touch your heart.

Part 1

Part 2 Recent Articles by Peter Reinhart

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Pizza Quest is a site dedicated to the exploration of artisanship in all forms, wherever we find it, but especially through the literal and metaphorical image of pizza. As we share our own quest for the perfect pizza we invite all of you to join us and share your journeys too. We have discovered that you never know what engaging roads and side paths will reveal themselves on this quest, but we do know that there are many kindred spirits out there, passionate artisans, doing all sorts of amazing things. These are the stories we want to discover, and we invite you to jump on the proverbial bus and join us on this, our never ending pizza quest.