Mario LaPosta has spent decades perfecting his pizza. The Connecticut-raised pizzaiolo started working at a pizzeria when he was 15, moving to Italy after college and apprenticing in Naples and Rome. He went on to become the executive chef at B&B Hospitality Group, which included the now-shuttered Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca in the Seaport. After more than 20 years refining his pizza game, the chef has opened his first restaurant: da LaPosta, which made its Newton debut on Nov. 19.

“My background is in Neapolitan-style pizza,” LaPosta told Boston.com. “I’ve been cooking wood-fired pizza for a long time, but with that style of pizza, a lot of pizza makers are importing products from Italy. We are too, but what I’ve changed over the last few years is — well, it’s always, how do we get better? Developing and sourcing my own organic flour from the States has been a really important part in making a better pizza, and then sourcing better tomatoes and better mozzarella, things that you can buy here in the States.”