This North Jersey dad accidentally became famous after posting a pizza video on Instagram

POV: You cook a pizza for your buddies, snap a video and go to bed.

And the next morning? You wake up to millions of views, thousands of new followers and hundreds of hungry locals desperate to figure out where they can buy that elusive, sizzling pie.

Such is the case for Daniel Piasecki — AKA, Instagram's hottest new pizzaiolo.

From humble home chef to "Backyard Pizza Dad," here's the story of the dough-tossing, cheese-sprinkling father of two.

Yes. Of course. He's from Wayne.

From home chef to internet sensation

Daniel "Dan" Piasecki first discovered his pizza-making passion during the COVID pandemic, when — bored — he invested in a backyard, wood-fired pizza oven.

"While everyone else was making sourdough bread," he said, "I started making pizzas."

To document his journey, he began the Instagram account @backyardpizzadad.

Months later, as statewide health restrictions were lifted, family and friends following the page — enticed, of course, by Piasecki's mouthwatering home videos — convinced him to start throwing weekend pizza parties.

He agreed and, for years, that's all that the account was; a talking (and rallying) point for the cook and his peers.

Until recently, however, when everything changed.

A pepperoni sizzle goes viral

It was a late-December afternoon when Piasecki pulled a "Jalapeno Roni" pie from his outdoor wood-fired oven. His favorite flavor combination, the pizzaiolo planned to top it with hot honey — but not without photographing it first. As the warm pizza hit the cold winter air, steam danced from its surface. The pepperoni and jalapeno grease sizzled for the camera, and the cheese bubbled.

From a video perspective? The pie couldn't have possibly looked any better.

Piasecki posted the crackling, colorful pizza on his Instagram page (as he always did), and the internet immediately loved it; proclaiming it was one of the most delicious-looking pies they'd ever seen.

Random strangers commented, liked and shared, and — by the end of the weekend — the three-second video had nearly five million views.

"I think the video went viral because of its ASMR aspects," Piasecki said of the clip's overnight success. "That pepperoni sizzle was on another level. You can imagine taking that first bite and hearing that satisfying crunch."

According to the comments section, Piasecki's hypothesis was correct, with Instagram users writing "seriously nice and crispy pie," and "that sizzle is everything."

Riding the buzz around the clip, the @backyardpizzadad account reached 30,000 followers within a few weeks, and still continues to climb. It's also caught the attention of larger social media accounts, including @pizza (who reposted the pepperoni video), and various culinary sponsors.

We — @northjerseyeats — visited Piasecki's cozy Wayne home to try a few of his best pies (and yes, we can vouch; they really are as good as they look).

The future of @backyardpizzadad

"It's awesome and humbling to know that so many people share the same passion for pizza and want to see what's next on the Backyard Pizza Dad's menu!" Piasecki said of his internet fame. "A lot of people even keep messaging me and asking me where they can order it."

And, of course, the latter is a naturally valid question: Now that @backyardpizzadad is a Jersey household name, will Piasecki start pursuing his pizza-making passion full time?

"I love my corporate day job," he said, "So I'm not sure about starting a business yet. I'm thinking of doing a 'Backyard Pizza Dad In Your Backyard' thing for parties — and some limited pop-ups — but, right now, I'm not sure what's going to happen. So, the best I can say is stay tuned."

With his two young daughters "loving the pizza thing" way more than the finance thing, however, we don't doubt the rising internet star will change his mind soon.

And, judging from how many times he's tagged Dave Portnoy (America's most famous pizza taster) in his recent videos?

We think he might already have.

To check out all of Dan Piasecki's mouthwatering pies — and stay tuned on future "limited pop-ups" — follow @backyardpizzadad on Instagram.

Kara VanDooijeweert is a food writer for NorthJersey.com and The Record. If you can't find her in Jersey's best restaurants, she's probably off running a race course in the mountains. Catch her on Instagram: @karanicolev & @northjerseyeats, and sign up for her North Jersey Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: This New Jersey dad became Instagram's biggest pizza star — by accident