Meet Mike Bancale

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mike Bancale. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mike below.

Hi Mike, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.

I once had to choose between keeping a stable job or investing my savings to open a restaurant with someone I didn’t know very well,
But I knew he had something I lacked—the ability to take risks. That stuck with me.
The thought of not doing it, of living with regret, felt worse than the idea of failing.
So I jumped in.
At the time, I had some experience in bars and restaurants, but suddenly I was running everything—seven days a week, building a place from the ground up. No blueprint, just grit.
It was tough, but that risk helped me find my path. I discovered a passion for pizza-making, and more importantly, I discovered what I was capable of.
Now I see risk differently. It’s not about recklessness—it’s about momentum. Opportunities don’t wait. You either take the shot, or you stay wondering.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a restaurateur, pizza maker, and creative entrepreneur focused on building food concepts, but first of all I am a souther Italian Immigrant, that wanted more and left his country to look for it.
I started by taking a risk, driven by a gut feeling and the fear of regret. That led me to discover not only a profession but a passion and lifestyle rooted in hospitality, simplicity, and storytelling through food. With that experience, Today, I can say Salsa Pizzeria, is the dream that came through, the dream of opening a restaurant with my best friend, now her and her husband are my business partners at SALSA PIZZA NAPOLETANA, an authentic Neapolitan-style pizzeria with a Latin twist, and we’re proud to be recognized among the top 50 pizzerias in the U.S. The most exciting part of what I do is watching people gather around something we create—from the dough to the vibe. Pizza is simple, but it’s also powerful—it brings people together across cultures, backgrounds, and generations.

At the end of the day, I didn’t invent anything—I just believed in real food, hard work, and culture. That’s what Salsa is about: authenticity with flavor.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. The ability to take risks.
None of this would’ve happened if I didn’t take that first leap My advice? Don’t wait for the perfect moment. It doesn’t exist. Start small, but start. Bet on yourself.

2. Adaptability.
When you’re building something from scratch, nothing goes as planned. I had to wear every hat—manager, pizza maker, builder, cleaner. Being flexible and learning as you go is key. The best way to develop this is by saying “yes” to things that scare you. That’s where growth happens.

3. Passion for the craft.
Pizza isn’t just food to me—it’s an identity, That passion kept me going when things got hard. Whatever your path is, find the thing you care about deeply and dive all in. Skill can be taught, but love for the work is what makes the difference.

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

If I knew I only had a decade left, I’d spend those ten years doing exactly what fills me up: traveling, cooking, and eating. That’s it. I’d want to be free—to explore the world, discover new cultures, share meals with strangers, and cook without pressure or deadlines. No business plans, no meetings—just living fully through food and experiences.
There’s something sacred about those three things. They connect people. They remind you you’re alive. And if time is limited, I’d want every day to taste like that kind of freedom.

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