Dave Portnoy’s Pizza Review Leaves Hudson Valley Owner in Tears

Dave Portnoy's Hudson Valley pizza tour continues, and this time his review made the owner cry.

Portnoy showed up at Pizzeria Baci in Montrose, and the score he gave wasn't even the most remarkable part of the visit.

The Owner's Story Is What Made It Emotional

One Bite Pizza Reviews Via YouTube

Portnoy rolled up to the lower Hudson Valley spot before it even opened, reaching out ahead of time to ask if the owner would open early so he could try the pie. The owner obliged, and what followed was one of the more emotional One Bite reviews Portnoy has posted in a long time.

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Before the review even started, the owner, Chris Weisman, opened up about everything he's been through to get to this moment.

Three heart attacks, a knee injury so severe a community GoFundMe was started to keep the business alive, a period in his life where he was on food stamps, searching for coins for gas money, and told by doctors he had a year to live

That conversation took place ten years ago. Depression hit Chris so badly he described himself as being close to a breaking point.

Pizza, he said, is what saved him.

Chris learned to make pizza from a 94-year-old man, spent 35 years perfecting his craft, and eventually opened Pizzeria Baci.

When the GoFundMe that kept him afloat raised $25,000, he turned around and spent 30 hours making pizza for a local family battling cancer, raising $15,000 for them.

Dave Portnoy Gave This Westchester Pizzeria An 8.1.

One Bite Pizza Reviews Via YouTube

Then came the review. Portnoy bit in and immediately struggled to describe what he was tasting. He threw out comparisons to Lucali, to sourdough, to California-style pies, and kept landing on the same conclusion: he hadn't had anything quite like it.

The crust was ultra-crispy, made from a two-day fermented dough that the owner never refrigerates once it's balled. Portnoy said it felt like someone had studied at a bunch of different places and came up with something entirely their own.

He gave it an 8.1, which is a massive score from Portnoy. That's a score that puts a local pizzeria on the map for an entirely new audience.

It's called the "Barstool bump," which is currently ongoing at pizzerias in Dutchess County this week, after Portnoy's visit.

Review Brings Owner To Tears

One Bite Pizza Reviews Via YouTube

The moment the score sank in, Weisman broke down in tears.

After everything he's been through, a score like that from Portnoy means the kind of attention that can change a small business overnight.

Pizzeria Baci is located in Montrose in Westchester County. If you haven't been, now you have a reason to go.

You can see the full view below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC_a3CQMdHA