Little-known fact: Neapolitan pizza isn't technically Neapolitan unless it's certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) in Italy. About three weeks ago, Noto Italian Restaurant officially joined the ranks, making it the first and only restaurant in St. Louis to achieve the prestigious certification, which has only been awarded to around 100 other restaurants throughout North and South America. 

"Neapolitan is this process that just consumes you," Noto co-owner Wayne Sieve says. "Being able to offer that puts not only Noto on the map with Neapolitan, but also the St. Louis area. To me, it was just a very important honor and certification to be able to do this."