There are many ways to show love. 

Words, service, pizza? 

For Tony Nigro, his wife Liz, daughter Stormy, and the entire Big Tony’s Pizzeria family, giving back happens one slice at a time. 

Through a focus on quality ingredients, in-house recipes, and building and maintaining an expertly trained staff, Big Tony’s has been providing an authentic and consistent food experience to the people of Cookeville for the last nine years. 

On the team behind Big Tony’s, Nigro stated, “Every single employee that comes in here has to be taught how to make thin crust pizza, how to sauce, and decorate. It takes time to learn. One of my staff is on year four, one is on six, and the other is on year three. I hire a lot of college kids. I’ve had five kids go from freshman to senior year with me.” He continued, “ All my former employees come by and visit and have a slice with me. They’re like family. My first pie-puller is getting married and I’ve been invited to his wedding.”

Beyond a highly skilled tight-knit staff, fresh and locally-sourced ingredients mixed with traditional homemade recipes, define Big Tony’s place in the area dining space.

“These are our own recipes, others are at least a hundred years old. They are tried and true. We use quality products. We make our dough every single day. That’s the key. The freshness and the quality,” Tony continued. “I cook here like I cook for my own children at home. We make our own sauce. We make our own dough. We make our own alfredo. I’d rather make a little less profit but have you walk out of here and say, ‘That was a really great pizza.’”

Even a positive thinker and community-minded person like Tony suffers setbacks, sometimes publicly. This was the case in September 2022 when a prank caller ordered nearly $1,000 in pizza with no intention of actually paying. Thanks to Stormy, the story quickly caught traction on social media and area news outlets, prompting a beautiful communal response.

Looking back on the heartbreak of the event and subsequent outpouring of support, Tony reflected, “That felt so good afterward, but so bad while it was happening. We thought we were doing something good for the church, but the callers were pretending to be the church and saying the right things to punk us. All my guys got so excited for this order and we finished it 10 minutes early. We waited and waited and nobody came. We called the church and they said, ‘We have no clue what you’re talking about.’ I couldn’t sleep and, when I can’t sleep, I cook, so I came in early.”

He continued, “When my daughter got here she said, ‘Dad I posted what happened to you and I think I made a mistake. So many people are calling and reaching out.’ Three hours before opening the next day a man was waiting at the door who just wanted to give me money. In eight years we’ve only sold out of dough just one time, from that day, and for the next eight days straight, we sold out of dough. People that didn’t know me or had never come here before came to support me.”

It’s no surprise that a man and family known for generosity were enveloped by love from Cookeville. From Down syndrome fundraisers and cancer drives to Pay It Forward boards, Tony Nigro and Big Tony’s are leaving a lasting impact by loving people well.

On these efforts, Tony deflected credit to his daughter, “Stormy has given me other reasons for enjoying running this place. We made special shirts, one for a uniform and, second for a young lady named Clara who comes in here and has Down syndrome. This year I committed that we will sell our tee-shirts and all the money goes to the Down syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee. I have a friend Big Joe at Varietee’s who printed these shirts at a very reasonable cost, and I will be selling them as low as $10. We are going to donate all the money from those shirts and that fundraiser starts in February.”

CONSCIOUSLY GIVING BACK

Inspired by Stormy to help a family struggling with the burden of cancer care, Tony, Liz, and the team decided to think outside the box and put purpose ahead of profits.

“I told Stormy that she could pick a day of the week and we would donate that entire day’s pizza sales. I had no idea how big it would be. We started getting pre-orders on Monday morning.” He continued, “On my previous best day ever we did 114 pies, on that Tuesday we did 215 pies and raised $4,273. The mom of the young man going through treatment (Connor) came in at the end of the night. All the people who bought pies in her son’s honor got to sign a board and we took a picture with Connor and his mom and dad.

After she said, ‘I just gotta hug you.’ It makes it all worthwhile. We’re not taking this with us, we’re just here to help as best we can.”

I wanted this article to be a celebration of Tony, Liz, Stormy, and all the amazing people who make Big Tony’s an essential Cookeville business. They treat people with respect and dignity, make a wonderful pie, and even deliver (within 10 miles). Just a few moments with Tony and you’ll feel the warmth and genuine care for those that cross his path. It’s no surprise to us that you voted Tony and Big Tony’s as your Readers’ Choice for this edition.

In typical fashion, Tony channeled his passion for others to create a Pay It Forward Board. This anonymous board allows patrons to purchase food for those who can’t buy it themselves. Through a simple gesture, those struggling and hungry for hope, a full stomach, and the respect due every human being leave filled.

To conclude this article, I wanted to relay Tony’s thoughts on the board. They reveal so much about this amazing man and the Big Tony’s family.

“We did the Pay It Forward board. Again, this was Stormy’s idea. She saw something like it online and said, ‘Wouldn’t this be cool.’  We started out with two major contributors, Cookeville Human Fund and police officer Mark deClaire who bought 20 pies, and my sister Ann Marie who bought 10. All of a sudden we had 30 pies and could feed 30 individuals right off the bat. I can’t even name all the customers who have been so supportive. One customer buys himself and one other person a meal every time he comes in. We’ve been doing this for 8 or 10 weeks and I still have 30 tickets on the board.” He concluded, “My favorite story of all is this one. I came out of here on a Friday when we were really busy. A young boy and his mother were sitting on the bench. My daughter told me afterward that they had come in and the young boy (11) had asked my daughter ‘We can really take one and eat for free? I am so hungry.’ My daughter helped him find a  pie and the little boy said, ‘Can I hug you?’ These people don’t owe us anything. You come in and you get fed. The only question I ask is ‘How many are we feeding today?’

– by Andrew Buckner, photos by Olivia Merritt