Sarah Musgrave Calls Pizzeria Gema an Instant Classic

In "Professional pizzeria with a local spin," Gazette critic Sarah Musgrave (behind the paywall) extols the second restaurant from the Impasto duo of Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione and offers this cool backstory.

Forgione’s personal path to running a pizzeria is a fun story. His first job at the age of 17 was at a bakery on Bellechasse St. His uncle worked for Isaac’s Bagels, making Jewish baked goods in the wood-fired ovens in back, while in the front it was all about pizzas — the kind of hybridity that is just so Montreal.

The rave concludes with this bit of uncommon praise.

Gema is one of those instant classics, which I instantly added to my Magpie and Bottega rotation. It’s a pleasure to start the year on a spot that feels so celebratory; if "Eat amazing pizza" was on your list of New Year’s Resolutions, it’s easier than ever to make good on that.