Before Max Balliet was a partner and executive chef, he was a musician and an ardently crazy lover of pizza. Sit back and take in a little of this guy’s history. His progression to partner and executive chef at Pizza Lupo, 1540 Frankfort Ave., will begin to make perfect sense.

It was on a trip to Italy to visit a girlfriend when he was 18 years old that he fell madly in love. Specifically with Neapolitan pizza, a traditional pie known for it's combination of simple and fresh ingredients, centered around raw tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil.