We think of many well-known Maine chefs as having got their start in New York/Brooklyn, a city they then left to come to Maine and open their dream restaurants. Il Leone owner/pizzaiolo Ben Wexler-Waite is migrating in reverse. He plans to open a brick and mortar Il Leone pizza place in Brooklyn this fall.

Wexler-Waite grew up in New York. But for the past five years, he’s run the seasonal Il Leone on Peaks Island, an outdoor eatery in Greenwood Park (run by the Lions Club, hence the name of Il Leone) where Maine summer meets naturally leavened, wood-fired pizza. He said he plans to continue operating seasonally on Peaks Island.

“This past spring, an opportunity came up to open il Leone in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn where I have been living with my partner and showcase our Maine-born, Maine-made pizza in what is obviously a major pizza city of the world,” he wrote in an email. “It was an opportunity I felt I couldn’t say no to.”

Wexler-Waite announced on Instagram that he’ll be opening the restaurant in “a very special space” with an open kitchen and a large backyard. In order to get the Brooklyn restaurant up and running, Il Leone on Peaks Island will close one week earlier than usual for the season. Its last day for 2025 is Monday.