Pizza aficionados and aspiring chefs in Miami can now learn the art of authentic Italian pizza-making without leaving the Magic City. Scuola Italiana Pizzaioli, the prestigious Venice-based pizza academy, opens its first Miami campus (and very first East Coast location) at 4421 NW Seventh Ave. on Monday, January 20.

The new school aims to train local job seekers for positions in Miami's pizza and restaurant kitchens. "The goal is to provide budding pizzaioli in South Florida with the skills needed to qualify for entry-level pizza baking jobs – and perhaps eventually go on to open their own pizzerias," says Stefano Carniato, who is overseeing the opening.