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A storm was heading toward Kauai, and my friend Tommy Iannucci had already burned his hand. He had painful first- and second-degree burns. Still, he went into his Pizza shop and made dough.

That decision says a lot about Tommy. What he did after the storm says even more.

The dough must go on

I live on Oahu, and earlier that week Hurricane Lowell was moving toward Hawaii. Kauai was in its path. When Tommy called me, he was at the shop preparing dough despite the burns on his hand.

He did not know whether he would be able to open later in the week. He hoped the storm would pass without too much damage and that he could get back to making pizza. So he prepared what he could, wished everyone safety, and waited to see what happened.

The storm hit home

Then the rain came. Tommy was safe, but part of his roof came down. His fence and other things were damaged too. When he tried to get to the pizzeria on Wednesday, traffic was backed up so badly that the trip could have taken an hour and a half to two hours. He decided to deal with the damage and try the shop again on Thursday.

Other parts of Kauai faced flooding, impassable roads, and power outages. At Tommy’s small Pizza unit, though, the electricity had stayed on, and everything inside was intact. He had a shop ready to make Pizza, and he decided to use it for his neighbors.

Free Pizza for first responders and the community

Working with Breath of Life, where he is a pastor, Tommy announced that he would give away the pizzas he could make that day. He had ingredients for roughly 35 pies, so he kept the plan simple: cheese and pepperoni, one pizza per family, until they ran out.

From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., first responders could come by for a pie. After that, the offer opened to the rest of the community. Tommy also invited people to pick one up for someone in need who could not get there themselves.

That is the part that stays with me. Tommy had a burned hand and storm damage at home. He could have focused entirely on his own problems. Instead, he thought about how to put hot food into other people’s hands.

The heart of a Pizza man

Tommy makes extraordinary Pizza, some of the best I have ever eaten. But great Pizza is only part of why I admire him. The other part is his love for the community.

His shop is not set up to turn out a huge number of pies every day. He opens only a couple of days a week and typically prepares about 25 to 35 dough balls. He makes specialty pizzas, announces what he is doing on social media, and runs the operation himself. He makes the pizza, takes payment, and keeps things moving. If you want to know when he is open and what is available, check Tommy’s Pizza Kauai on Instagram.

I respect that he wants the shop to serve his community rather than be a destination for everyone. And when that community needed help, he used the business he had built to give something back.

There is a lesson here for every pizzeria operator. Feeding people is what we do, but it can mean more than selling a meal. Sometimes it means making a limited batch of dough, opening the door, and giving away every pie you can.

Tommy, I praise you, I salute you, and I commend you. You have the heart and soul of a true pizza man. For anyone looking to help people affected on Kauai, the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Kauai relief page is available.

Pizza on earth, goodwill to all. Take care of your community.