About Us

Figlio Wood Fired Pizza was founded in 1991 by Peter and Laurie Danis. Peter and Laurie first met at Ohio State University's College of Law, but little did they know that they would eventually trade their law books for cookbooks and find happiness in the kitchen rather than the courtroom.

Peter and Laurie practiced law for a number of years. Then, on the evening their first child was born, everything changed. Fueled by a desire to feel that same passion and excitement every single day, they decided to leave their legal careers to open a gourmet pizza and pasta restaurant in Columbus, where great food, a welcoming energy, and the warmth of a wood-fired kitchen could bring people together.

It worked. For more than three decades, it's been all about Pizza, Pasta, and Passion.

In November 1991, they opened the doors to the first Figlio on Grandview Avenue. What began as a leap of faith soon became a neighborhood tradition.

For 35 years, the Grandview dining room has been a place where life happens around the table: a place for first dates and anniversaries, family dinners and nights out with friends, a glass of something good and a familiar face at the door. Generations of guests have walked through those doors, sharing celebrations, milestones, and the everyday moments that become part of a family's story. Over the years, Figlio has become part of the lives of the people who gather there, and their stories have become part of Figlio, too.

Today, that legacy continues within the Figlio family through Michael, a longtime manager of the Upper Arlington location. He carries forward the foundation Peter and Laurie built from day one: the recipes, the hospitality, the attention to detail, and the belief that a great restaurant should feel a little like home.

And then there's Dayton.

In 2003, Peter and Laurie opened their third Figlio in Dayton, bringing their wood-fired cooking back to Peter's childhood neighborhood of Kettering. From the beginning, Dayton had the same heart as the original: fresh pasta, hand-stretched pizza blistered in a live wood fire, and a warm, welcoming room where people could settle in and stay awhile.

More than two decades later, that spirit remains at the heart of Figlio Dayton. It's in the kitchen, where every dish is made with care. It's in the dining room, where quiet dinners become traditions and family gatherings become memories. And it's in the familiar feeling of being welcomed back to a place that feels like it's always been there.

Because at Figlio, the food has always been just the beginning. The real story is the people around the table: the families, friends, neighbors, regulars, and staff who have made Figlio part of their lives.

Over the years, staff have become family, not just because they work side by side, but because they have grown up together, celebrated together, and shared so many chapters of life together. Figlio has been the place where coworkers became lifelong friends, where staff members met and married, and where the next generation found its way back to the restaurant. Some of the people who once worked at Figlio have even watched their own children grow up and eventually join the team themselves.

And that family doesn't stop at the restaurant doors. It means showing up for each other: in the audience at a high school play, standing beside a friend on their wedding day, waking up early on a cold morning to cheer someone through a marathon, or filling the seats at a graduation. These are the moments that happen when people have shared more than just a workplace. They've shared years, stories, milestones, and a lot of life along the way.

That's what family looks like at Figlio. And the people who have made those moments possible have always been at the heart of what makes Figlio special.

More than 30 years later, Peter and Laurie still feel that same joy and excitement every single day. Their goal has remained unchanged from the start: bring people together, create something delicious, and make it feel like home.

That's been Figlio's passion from the beginning.