Scottsdale, AZ : Grimaldi’s Pizzeria, famously known for their award-winning hand-tossed, coal-fired brick oven pizzas and calzones, fresh salads and delicious desserts is announcing its plans to open in Prairiefire, at the corner of 135th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas. Grimaldi’s Pizzeria will occupy a 4,000 square foot space that includes a patio and private event dining. Opening is currently set for early fall.

“Kansas has been on our target map for several years and the Prairiefire location in Overland Park, was truly a perfect match for our concept,” said Joe Ciolli, Chief Executive Officer of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. “We cannot wait to bring our brand of pizza perfection to the community of Overland Park.”

Grimaldi’s pizzeria has shown tremendous growth in 2014 and has promised to continue their expansion plans throughout 2015. This year they were named top 50 fastest growing restaurant groups by Restaurant Business Magazine. Grimaldi’s Pizzeria currently has thirty-seven locations across the US, including Texas, Nevada, Idaho, Louisiana, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, California, South Carolina and its flagship stores in New York City.

In the world of pizza, Grimaldi’s is an institution that has garnered more awards than any other pizzeria in the country with more celebrity sightings than most 5-star restaurants. Using only the freshest ingredients, a “secret recipe” pizza sauce, handmade mozzarella cheese and dough, Grimaldi’s serves traditional pizza (as it began in Naples, Italy) in an upscale yet casual, family oriented pizzeria.

Designed and built by hand, the coal-fired oven at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria delivers a unique flavor and consistency that is just not possible from wood or gas ovens. Weighing in at 25 tons and heated by 100 pounds of coal per day (cleanest burning fuel available and environmentally tested), the oven heats up to 1,200 degrees. The intense heat of the oven evenly bakes the pies to create Grimaldi’s famous crispy and smoky thin crust that Zagat has voted best pizza, year after year.

It has been said that the secret to true New York-style pizza is the water. Grimaldi’s believes that too, going to great lengths to keep the integrity of the water used in the Brooklyn pizzeria by hiring a chemist to analyze and recreate the mineral content and exact composition of the water to ensure the dough tastes the same in Kansas.