ciaoA locally owned, independent pizza shop is among the nation’s best-performing pizzerias, according to Pizza Today magazine, the leading publication of the $42 billion pizza industry. The magazine, which annually ranks the largest independent operations in the U.S. based on sales, this month named Ciao! Wood-fired Pizza & Pasta to its prestigious Hot 100 list.

Based in Ithaca, Ciao! Wood-fired Pizza & Pasta has 1 store and reports annual sales in excess of $3 million. Ciao! is ranked No. 74 on the magazine’s Hot 100 list.

“Making our list is quite an accomplishment,” said Pizza Today Editor-in-Chief Jeremy White. “Each year our readers await the release of the Hot 100 list anxiously. Making it here isn’t easy — it’s a testament to many factors such as great food and service, solid marketing and old-fashioned hard work. The pizzerias on our Hot 100 list have managed to really set themselves apart from the competition.”

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