John Markaj, the former owner of 081 Wood Fired Pizza, has partnered with brothers Mark and John Cavallini to open a new restaurant in South of Downtown’s Main Street District. Many of Orlando’s historic neighborhoods surround the SoDo District, including the city’s lakes and parks.
“We’re just gonna bring in new ideas for a fast, casual cafe style. With Italian sandwiches and just kind of bring a taste of where we grew up in Philadelphia and New York,” Mark Cavallini told What Now Orlando. “We’re gonna be offering something unique, it’s not gonna be a typical pizzeria per se. We’re gonna have some unique pies and some unique sandwiches. My brother and Johnny both have a long history in the in the culinary industry. And this really opens the door for them to get as creative as possible and just try some new stuff. So I know that you won’t really have anything else like it around here.”
In November 2020, 081 Wood Fired Pizza, located at 150 S Magnolia Avenue closed. It offered wood-fired pizza from its Pavesi rotating oven.
Mark and John Cavallini along with John Markaj, all own Cavo’s Bar and Kitchen, a casual sports bar in Thornton Park. Cavo’s is located at 900 E Washington St, Orlando and serves American casual cuisine such as curly fries, wings, roast pork Italiano sandwich, and a hoagie salad. Cavallini says he will handle the front of the house while John Markaj and John Cavallini will be in the kitchen, which is why they decided on the name John and John’s.
John & John’s Pizza Shop will open in August at 435 E Michigan Street in the former location of Mediterranean Blue, which closed in May 2022. The location attracted the trio because it’s a well-built, standalone building. “It’s just the right size. It’s in a good up-and-coming location. There are a lot of good little restaurants open over here and there’s more stuff to do, which is cool. We’re just excited to be a part of this side of the neighborhood. We’ve been in Thornton for the past two years,” Mark Cavallini told What Now Orlando.
