TWO Italian brothers who followed in their uncle’s footsteps to set up a pizza business have dedicated an award to him.

Frank and Antonio Falvo began Falvo’s Artisan Pizza Co in Swindon after converting a 1978 vintage Renault Estafette into a mobile pizza oven for events and private functions last December.

The brother’s uncle Tony was a pizzaiolo - Italian for pizza artisan - in Calabria, south Italy, where the family is originally from.

And after winning Best Fast Food and Takeaway at the MTM Food Business awards, held in Bristol, the brothers paid tribute the memory of their uncle who died recently.

Uncle Tony also opened his own pizza restaurant in Old Town called Little Italy, more than 20 years ago.

“He did it with my other uncle, but they both sadly passed away with cancer,” said Frank.

“We’re just following in his footsteps, we always had passion for pizza.

The two brothers even used a picture of Tony to create a logo for the company, which is shown on the side on the van.

“We just want to dedicate the award to my uncle, to our memory of him,” he added.

The van went to its first event in March and went on to make a good impression at the Old Town Festival during the summer. It is kept busy with weddings and private parties for the rest of the year.

The success of the business means the brothers are now working on a part-time basis at their old jobs, at the Royal Mail post office and Santander.

“It’s been going really well, We’re almost booked up every week,” added Tony.

But changing temperatures, and especially with the summer heat wave, can present some of its own challenges when making the classic Neapolitan pizzas to order inside the small van.

“The secret of a pizza is in the dough, “ added Frank, “we use the Caputo ‘00 flour, but it’s more in the proving and getting the hydration of the dough. We have to prove it for 24 hours before an event. It’s quite a long process and not as easy as people think - it’s a quick procedure cooking-wise, but making the dough is not.”

The two say they are looking at opening a more permanent home to serve their authentically Italian pizza to the town.

“Hopefully we can open our own pizzeria, at the moment we’re taking it slowly and seeing how far we get with the van,” added Frank.

The find out more about the brothers’ story go to www.falvo.co.uk.