Mamma Mia Italian Kitchen - Inspired by Nonna Monica coming to East Albury

Mamma Mia Italian Kitchen - Inspired by Nonna Monica will operate from the building next to Borella Seafood from Tuesday.

Owners Alessandro Destri and Serena McGuffie have completely renovated the premises since May with a Cinque Terra theme to showcase their traditional Italian pizza and pasta dishes.

Italian-born Mr Destri learnt pizza-making in Naples from a third-generation artisan before he plied his trade in Melbourne.

He met Myrtleford-raised Ms McGuffie working in the same restaurant before they returned to the Ovens Valley in 2015 to operate Bastoni Pizzeria for four years.

Mr Destri said he was passionate about making authentic Italian pizza.

"Traditional pizza from Napoli is all about the dough, the type of flour and the 48-hour fermentation," he said.

"Our pizza cooks in two minutes at 460 degrees in a pizza oven imported from Italy.

"It's new technology, which does the same job as a woodfired oven with no gas or wood, purely electric."

Ms McGuffie said the sustainable design of the pizza oven complemented their environmental ethos.

"We are just as passionate about sustainability as Ales is about pizza!" she said.

"We have biodegradable packaging whenever possible and will try to eliminate plastic."

With Mr Destri's mum's recipes inspiring the pasta range, his brother Cristiano had also joined the restaurant team.

Now living at Baranduda, Mr Destri and Ms McGuffie, who have children aged 3 and 5, will continue to run Pizza Heaven in Wodonga, which offers Australian-style pizzas.

Mamma Mia Italian Kitchen will open for dining-in and takeaway, Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 9pm.

It will be licensed by summer for diners to enjoy an aperol spritz.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: