When Nicole Russell first acquired a love for pizza, the Queens, New York native was just a teenager. She grew up in a home with a vegan father and a mom who cooked all the time, therefore, eating out wasn’t common for or encouraged by her family. So when she would make her extensive commute home from school (she lived in a two-fare zone where you have to take a bus to the train), she cherished the opportunity to grab a slice from a local pizzeria. It became a part of her routine to get a slice with extra cheese, extra garlic, and a grape soda every single day at Gino’s Pizza in Far Rockaway.