SHEFFIELD, Mass. - For Robbie Robles, opening Roberto's Pizza is the culmination of a life-long dream.

Robles said, "Honestly, it's been my dream since I was a little kid. It's a little weird to know what you want to do when you're that young, but I've always wanted to own my own restaurant."

The pandemic presented the perfect opportunity for the Sheffield native, as he spent a lot of hours over the past year perfecting his pizza recipe.

Robles, a first generation Mexican-American, even made a trip to the original Goodfella's Pizza in Staten Island to learn from some of New York's best.

"I walk in the door, and it was everything I could've dreamt," Robles said. "They sit me down, two super Italian dudes, pull the shade up, the sun is just coming in, and they say to me, 'So, you want to learn pizza?' And I said 'I do.'"

Robles said there are two simple secrets to his pizzas: a high heat oven and fresh ingredients.

"Just like any good secret, it's right in front of your face, it's temperature. Heat truly is an ingredient. The next would be, honestly, making things with love and from scratch. It takes time, it takes that TLC."

Robles grew up just around the corner from the restaurant in downtown Sheffield. He said he wants to give back to his hometown and offer a unique experience.

Robles said, "I want to bring to the Berkshires a fun restaurant environment, with quick, delicious, clean food, dough made from scratch, sauce made from scratch, all my starters, the marinara, the meatballs. There's a lot of love going into this."

Roberto's Pizza is located at 113 Main Street in Sheffield.