By Haley Dockendorff
The business of selling pizza has become… cutthroat. What started hundreds of years ago in Italy made as cheap street food has become one of the most saturated markets in American cuisine and the public has pretty nuanced opinions about pizza (or is it pie?).
Between arguments about what belongs on pizza, how to cook it, what dough to use, and of course, the highly sought-after One Bite Rating made famous by Barstool’s Dave Portnoy, any slice is put to the test. To make things even more challenging, Florida’s pizza has a bad reputation. Greenacres native Frankie Cecere is the pizza perfectionist South Florida needed to change that.
“ONCE ONE PERSON RAISES THE BAR, EVERYBODY ELSE HAS TO RISE TO THE STANDARD OR YOU GET LEFT BEHIND. ”
Frankie stepped into the ring in 2024 when he opened Bucks Coal Fired Pizza. It’s not New Haven, it’s not Chicago, it’s not New York – it’s “Florida Style,” and it’s here to stay.
“When we opened the doors, I said, ‘We’re going to create our own style, our own lane,’ because I’ve never had influence from anywhere else,” Frankie said. He’s had to teach each chef how to make it the Bucks way – no one else knows how.
You may recognize Bucks Coal Fired Pizza from their viral creations: most recently, the iguana pizza Frankie created during last winter’s historic cold snap, and before that, their signature pickle pizza. Both hit millions of online views.
Frankie also challenged himself to post every day until he caught the attention of Dave Portnoy, which paid off. After weeks of consistently posting, Bucks earned a visit and an 8.1 rating from Dave. The local community rates Bucks even higher, with a 9.2 on the One Bite app.
“I had no experience in the industry, but I’m a serial entrepreneur,” said Frankie, sharing that Bucks was his 27th business venture.
“There are two rules of law when it comes to business: you have to have superior quality and unparalleled customer service,” he said. “If you do those two things in conjunction, you might not be the wealthiest guy in town, but you will succeed.”
That basic business philosophy is what has made Bucks a staple within the North Palm Beach community. Imported flour, olive oil, and tomatoes from Italy; all-natural chicken and proteins from local farms; and clean, simple ingredients come together to make good food you won’t feel guilty about enjoying. “We refuse to cut corners,” Frankie said.
“I’m very big on what you put in your body,” Frankie said. “A lot of pizza shops buy and use cheap ingredients, giving Florida pizza a bad rap. Once one person raises the bar, everybody else has to rise to the standard or you get left behind.”
He’s happy to see that other South Florida pizza shops, like Death by Pizza, Floza, and How Ya Dough’n, are also succeeding by refusing to cut corners. According to Frankie, it only continues to raise the bar for pizza shop owners – and help kill Florida’s reputation for bad pizza.
Of course, being a Florida man, Frankie’s creations are about as lawless as the Everglades. Forget pineapple, ever tried deer on pizza?
Part ode to the name “Bucks” his archery-obsessed kids picked out, part wanting to show Floridians how good venison can actually be, Frankie decided to “push the envelope” when it came to the flavors he offered. Four of their signature pizzas use crumbled venison, each with their own spin, like the “Big Rac” – a play on a Big Mac-style pizza.
"WERE GOING TO CREATE OUR OWN STYLE, OUR OWN LANE," FRANKIE SAID, BECAUSE I'VE NEVER HAD INFLUENCE FROM ANYWHERE ELSE.
Bucks has collaborations with local brands like Dad’s Hot Sauce, used on “The Rut” pizza, and their brisket pizza features NEVS brisket and signature BBQ sauce. They also sponsor Jupiter High School’s wrestling team and a local baseball team, giving back to the community that has poured so much love into their business.
“We’ve built relationships, friendships, almost brotherhoods with some of these local businesses,” Frankie said. “Everyone has been so supportive.”
There’s one other thing Frankie says has helped his success: sticking to what they are good at.
Bucks keeps the menu focused on pizza, wings, and garlic knots, so the team can get those three things right. The cast-iron wings start with antibiotic-free jumbo chicken wings, and they do not disappoint. They’re tossed in sauce, roasted in the oven, and tossed again, and Frankie’s confident they’re the best wings on Florida’s East Coast.
Even through the virality, success, and rapport with the local community built over the years, Frankie’s end goal has remained clear: setting his kids up for success.
“I’ve worked every day of my life since I was about seventeen,” Frankie said. “My only goal is to build a generational safety blanket and security for my family.”
The potential to expand and open up more locations is there, he said. But expanding the store isn’t really his main goal, and not something he would do halfheartedly. He says he has a few more years of “pushing the envelope” with his business, but his kids’ ambitions come first.
Whether Bucks eventually grows beyond North Palm Beach or remains the foundation Frankie built for his family, he plans to keep doing things his way. No borrowed traditions, no shortcuts, and no need to fit into someone else’s definition of great pizza. Florida Style has found its lane — and it’s here to stay.
900 Northlake Blvd., North Palm Beach
