When Frank Kabatas first came to the United States in 1997 at age 23, he had only seen pizza in the movies.
A quarter-century later, the now 49-year-old Turkish immigrant is the proud owner and operator of one of Manhattan’s most beloved pizza joints—the same company that fired him shortly after his arrival in the Big Apple, after working for six months as a delivery driver.
East Village Pizza, located on the corner of 1st Avenue and 9th Street, was one of the first places to hire Kabataś as soon as he landed in New York City.
Not only was it his first job, which helped him pay for school, but it was also his first piece – in forever.
“I had never had pizza before,” Kabatas told the Post, adding that the then-owner gave him his first regular slice, saying something like, “If you don’t make a good [cheese] Piece… you are not successful.”
And success didn’t come easily for this would-be mogul.
Being at the bottom of the totem pole meant eating shit — including taking the blame for a mistake in the kitchen that got her fired from her job.
“I had to work even after I got fired. I had to work to go to school and I had a goal to achieve,” Kabatas said, adding that keeping things in perspective helped.
“I was one of the luckiest people — I eventually came to the United States,” he said.
Fortunately, the owner of Ben's Pizzeria on MacDougal Street wanted to hire him, but because of his limited English at the time, Kabatas did not understand he was being offered a job.
Undeterred, the owner took her hand, stood her behind the counter, and handed her an apron.
The Greenwich Village pizzeria was where the budding pie-san learned how to make pizza and sauce.
Working there for a year and a half, he worked 12-hour days, six or seven days a week, followed by five hours at night school.
But after two years of intensive, on-the-job training, he realized his knowledge was still very limited.
He said, “I knew how to make great pizza, but I didn't know how to sell it… I had to learn how to sell.”
Kabatas eventually got a job at Domino’s, where his job was to push a certain product catalog, he said — that’s where he really started to learn the business side.
“Working with them was probably the best decision I ever made,” he said, calling the Michigan-based chain one of the best-marketed in the world.
Kabatas worked at Domino's until 2003 — and then he heard the East Village pizza place was up for sale. There was nothing inherently unique or special about the place, he said, but the idea of coming full circle was appealing.
“I talked to my brother and I thought, we’ve worked hard, we’ve made some money, should we talk to the guy?’” he remembered. “Maybe we could buy the store.”
A few months later, he became the proud owner of that slice joint.
“It was a normal pizzeria, but it was an opportunity for me to achieve my goal. I knew if I worked hard, I would get something,” he said.
After he took over, the Cabatas changed everything and made it their own – the recipes, the ovens, the way of making the pizzas – making it “their way” [he] I wanted this to happen.”
“It's not that he didn't make good pizza, but I wanted to turn what I had learned into my passion so that I could work in the kitchen every day,” he said.
Even today he is engaged in this work.
“I still make pizza. I still play around with my dough to see if I can make something better,” he said.
And he has it – signature Margherita Pizza, Double Stacked Pizza And Cheesy Garlic Knots 'Kabatas' are hits with 1.7 million followers On Instagram, where he learned how to grow his audience.
More importantly, he has built up a loyal local customer base, who sometimes stop by just to meet him, and even call his mobile number to ask if he will be there when they visit.
And even though Kabatas bought the place he was once kicked out of, he made it clear that this was his own goal he had to achieve — not revenge.
He said, “I don't take revenge in my life because I know life is very short and I have to achieve a goal. This was just an opportunity for me and it was wonderful.”
“I work more than ever before, but it's great to have my own pizzeria, to make my own decisions. I make mistakes, but I learn from my mistakes.”
