Owner-chef Edward Sylvia is planning on transforming a former Quiznos space at 132 East 56th Street (between Lexington and Park Avenues) into New York City's first green pizza parlor. Pizza by Certé should be open for business sometime this fall and offer locally-sourced ingredients, recyclable boxes, biodegradable utensils, and even thyme and basil grown within the 1200-square-foot restaurant itself.
Pizza by Certé intends to seek an unspecified level of LEED certification and will incorporate green design features ranging from a graywater system to efficient baking ovens that will capture excess heat and turn it into electricity. Hard construction costs should run Mr. Sylvia around $600,000.00- which is about double the price tag for the same size pizzeria without any green features- but Mr. Sylvia tells Crain's that he expects to recoup the green building premium thanks to energy and other cost savings.
