Unique Italian Restaurant Opens in West Hempstead

Healthy Italian food may sound like an oxymoron, but that's exactly what one local doctor and his partners are bringing to the West Hempstead community.

Dr. Jeffrey Wechsler, D.C., a chiropractor at Woodfield Medical in West Hempstead, is one of the owners of Pizza Cucina, a new Italian restaurant opening Tuesday at 239 Nassau Boulevard. (The space had been home to Peppino's for many years before it went out of business.)

Wechsler said the cuisine will be mostly Southern Italian with all the staples - pizza, pasta, heroes, seafood and meat entrees - but they will also offer options for diners who have dietary restrictions or prefer to eat healthy.

Whole-wheat, gluten-free, low-sugar, low-carb and organic are not terms often found on the menus at Italian eateries, but they will be  here, for those who want them.

"Diabetics will be able to eat our [pizza] crust," Wechsler said. "We have our own marinated organic vegetables grown from a farm out east. Organic salads will be picked in the morning and delivered that afternoon."

Customers can get a slice to go or sit down for a meal in rustic setting that includes paintings and vases filled with flowers.

"The prices will be very reasonable," said Wechsler, adding that the month of September will be dollar pizza month. "All slices will be $1."

He also anticipates that the ability to carry out their homemade sauces and organic veggies will be a hit.

But Pizza Cucina isn't just for health nuts, cardiac patients or those with food allergies. Those with no dietary restrictions will be able to enjoy more decadent dishes and traditional homestyle Italian cooking too.

"You can have sausage and peppers but the person sitting across from you can have vegan, whole wheat or organic," he explained. 

Wechsler is all about bringing people together. For instance, describes his medical practice, which has been located on Woodfield Road in West Hempstead for the past 30 years, as "the Wal-mart of doctor's offices."

"It's one-stop-shopping," he says, explaining how the practice has a licensed chiropractor, nutritionist, acupuncturist, physical therapist, spine surgeon, weight loss specialist and masseuse all under one roof. (Oh and they recently added a Zumba instructor too.)

His fellow physicians, who have become more like a second family, have been enjoying his cooking for years.

"I used to cook three times per week for the patients and staff," he said, explaining that he had worked as a chef before becoming a physician. "I cook everything."

Pizza Cucina will hold an opening event on July 19 starting a 5 p.m. If you can't come down to see this new local business yourself, don't forget to check Patch tomorrow for coverage.