When chef Asdren "Ozzi" Azemi quietly opened his tiny Ozzi’s Pizza shop in December 2025, he didn’t expect to stir a full-on neighborhood frenzy. But word travels fast when a son of Fort Worth returns with a bold idea and dough that took more than a year to perfect.

Tucked into an unassuming corner at 6249 Altamesa Blvd. in Southwest Fort Worth, Ozzi’s Pizza is stirring up serious buzz with its authentic New York-inspired pies, available whole ($22-$31) or by the slice ($4.25-$5.75).

The shop offers 18-inch varieties such as:

• Cup-n-Char Pepperoni
• Meat Lovers – with pepperoni, soppressata salami, and Prosciutto di Parma
• À la Vodka
• White Mushroom
• Creamed Spinach
• Sausage and Pepper

Each slice is topped with fresh basil, Pecorino Romano, and extra virgin olive oil, giving it the signature finish that Azemi says sets it apart.

What makes Ozzi's pizza stand out is the dough; it’s the centerpiece of the whole operation.

“If we run out, it’s going to take time," Azemi says. "Pizza dough is either Biga (drier and chewier) or Poolish (wetter and airier), which is what we make at Ozzi’s. It takes 12 hours to create and then doubles in size overnight. You get that funk and those hoppy flavors imparted into the dough.

"It’s highly hydrated because of the olive oil in there, which also gives it that crispiness that can hold up to all of the topping we put on it. By the time it gets to the customer, it’s been 72 hours since we started the dough. We use American flour, which is a very big deal for us.”

The shop isn’t much bigger than the size of a two-car garage. Pies are made in limited batches each day due to their intensive dough process and small-batch focus, and when they’re out, they’re out. For now it’s takeout only, with an Instagram page but no website; online ordering and expanded hours on the way, they say. (To order now, customers must call or text 817-374-9703.)

A Fort Worth legacy
Azemi comes from a long line of restaurateurs who helped shape Fort Worth’s Italian dining scene. As a teenager, he swept floors and bussed tables at Ruffino’s Italian, a beloved local institution he would later help run alongside his father, Franco Albanese, and uncle, Bobby Albanese. “This is where I learned the business,” Azemi says. “It’s in my DNA.”

The family’s culinary legacy spans several well-known local spots, including Fizzi, Ciao, Red Door Bistro, Picchi Pacchi, and Piola. When Ruffino’s closed in 2011, Azemi knew he would one day return to Fort Worth to lead a restaurant of his own.

He left Texas to attend the French Culinary Institute in New York City, where he trained under Bradford Thompson, a James Beard Award winner and Food & Wine Best Chef Southwest. Over the next decade, Azemi refined his craft in some of NYC's top kitchens, gaining experience in both fine dining and traditional pizzerias. It was during this time that he started to form the concept for a neighborhood pizza shop grounded in simplicity, authenticity, and expert technique.

Ozzi’s eventually took shape after Azemi, his wife, and young son moved back home to Texas during the pandemic. “I was inspired to launch a pizza shop in Fort Worth because I missed my late-night walks in New York after work, when I could just grab a slice,” Azemi says.

But he didn’t do it alone. Azemi credits the success of the shop to a tight-knit group of collaborators: mentors, chefs, and industry friends who became true partners.

“Ozzi’s wouldn’t have happened without Bradford Thompson, who is a father figure and my best friend,” he says. “We talk several times a day. We are very much each other’s sounding boards.”

He also worked closely with Mark Fiorentino, aka “The Baker,” known for his time at three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Daniel in Manhattan and for his global consulting work on bread and dough fermentation.

Space to grow
Inside the minimalist space, pizza is made in plain sight. An open kitchen gives customers a clear view of the process, from stretching the dough to pulling pies from the oven. Azemi wanted guests to see who is cooking their food, talk to them, and engage.

“New York slice shops have this open feel, and I wanted that here," he says. "It’s important that our customers get hospitality and we make this home for them and not just a transaction.”

That neighborly ethos extends beyond the counter. Azemi lives right across the street from the pizza shop.

“I walk to and from work every single day," he says. "I can pick my kid up from school and still have my eyes on the restaurant at all times. It made perfect business sense."

The operation, currently open Tuesday to Sunday from 3-9 pm, has big plans bubbling beneath that flour-dusted surface. The team is hiring, working on a full menu, and taking things step by step.

“Soon we will be open Mondays … eventually we’ll have full hours and be open late night on weekends," Azemi says. "Customers will be able to order online, but we didn’t want the train to get away from us.”

For now, things stay lean by design. Ozzi’s is laser-focused on quality over variety, with slow, deliberate growth on the horizon.

“The star of the show is pizza," Azemi says. "I wanted to control the volume, which is why we said no tables and chairs in the beginning. But they are coming, and we may get our beer and wine license. We plan to have soft serve ice cream in the summer."

Azemi says he's excited to carve his own pizza niche in a city hungry for food that's authentic and elevated.

“There is a lot of great pizza around, and there is room for all of us," he says. "We are doing our own thing and having a good time.”