Bella Hadid dines at LI pizzeria
Supermodel Bella Hadid, wearing mask, poses for a photo with Jenna DiMaria, niece of the owner of Joanne's Gourmet Pizza in Roslyn. Credit: Jenna DiMaria
It's true: Supermodels eat pizza. And Bella Hadid did so Wednesday around 8:45 p.m. at Joanne's Gourmet Pizza in Roslyn, where she took time to pose for a selfie with the co-owner's niece.
"She was with a couple of friends and they had four slices and a pepperoni personal pizza," says Louis DiMaria, 46, proprietor with his brother Rino of the 24-year-old trattoria named for their late mother. "I don't know who had the pepperoni because I didn't want to intrude too much." Like most restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, Joanne's has an outdoor seating area where the group sat and ate.
His 19-year-old niece Jenna, who works there, "recognized her right away" says Louis DiMaria, who grew up in Williston Park and Albertson and now lives in Long Beach. "My niece got all excited and said hi, and Bella was very sweet. We took her order, they made small talk — 'What're you doing?' 'Oh, just driving through.' They had come from the city and friends had told them they have to stop here when they go out to the Hamptons."
DiMaria — who says celebrities including former NBA player and Khloé Kardashian ex-husband Lamar Odom have stopped in, and that the restaurant has delivered to past and present local residents including LL Cool J, Jennifer Lopez and Carson Daly — says he did tell the 23-year-old Hadid, "My niece is a big fan. Would you mind if she takes your picture? I'll make sure no one bothers you."
The photo ran on the eatery's social media — the modern-day equivalent of those signed celebrity photos ubiquitous in pizza shops — captioned, "The Beautiful @bellahadid paid us a visit tonight! She was sweet as can be and even took a pic with my niece @jennadimaria!!!" The model wears a mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Jenna DiMaria, who like all his employees wears a mask and gloves at work, took her mask off momentarily for the outdoor shot.
That same day, Hadid had posted Instagram Stories images of herself in Manhattan.
"Maybe she was Instagraming before and then came out here," DiMaria posits. The photos did not specify a date taken, and many celebrities use a social-media manager to post.
