Photo by Brian Addison.

For Adriel Fasci, seeing how cancer has impacted his family has made him more health conscious. And, he said, he wants to start giving Long Beach healthier options, too, in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Fasci, the owner of Milana’s New York Pizzeria in Downtown Long Beach, will begin offering his locally-famous pizzas with the option of a whole wheat dough crust starting this Friday and every Friday throughout October. Half of the proceeds from the wheat dough pizzas, whether by the slice or a whole pie, will go toward the Breast Cancer Care & Research Fund.

“My grandmother died of breast cancer, and my dad has a different form of breast cancer,” Fasci said. “I decided if I can give someone a healthier choice of whole wheat, it might make them more aware of their own health.”

This Friday will be the first time Milana’s will officially have whole wheat crust on its menu, following a soft launch last week.

Fasci said he plans to serve the whole wheat crust on Fridays throughout October. If the demand is high enough on those Fridays, Fasci said he may add whole wheat to the menu on a more regular basis.

Changing a pizza from regular dough to whole wheat dough costs an additional $2, Fasci said.

“I’m going to test to see how much dough to make, and once we get it, I’ll know how much dough to make,” he said. “So maybe in November we’ll start serving whole wheat every day.”

Fasci said while he would not disclose the secret ingredients in his whole wheat dough that make it so delicious, he promised they are both scrumptious and healthy.

“Wheat crust is unbelievable, and it’s a healthier choice,” he said. “You really have to try it before you knock it. Back in New York, it’s pretty popular. With my wheat crust, you do not lose any flavor.”