People keep asking us “what kind of our pizzas do we serve at Mozzeria?” They know our pizza style is Neapolitan, and that our pizzas are baked inside the hot flaming Stefano Ferrara oven within 90 seconds. A friend dubbed our Stefano Ferrara as “Darth Vader”. See the look-alike pictures, above.

What do you think? Do they look alike?

Let's get back to pizzas.... I really enjoy creating imaginative and unique pizzas.

Roast Duck Pizza

This pizza is a nod to my Chinese roots. I love duck.

We roast all ducks in-house, and we make our hoisin sauce from scratch. I like to think that our spring onions show at its prettiest. We always offered it on Fridays, but now we are excited to announce that roast duck pizza is now available Tuesdays through Sundays.

Thai Shrimp Pizza

I was inspired to create this pizza after passing Thai restaurants. Florida Gulf Shrimp, lime, snap pea, red bell pepper, mango and spicy peanut sauce.

Belgian Endive Pizza

I thought Belgian endive is among the pretty vegetables so I wanted to incorporate it in my vegetarian pizza. Baby spinach, radicchio, kumquat, candied walnut, burrata and champagne mustard vinaigrette. Divine taste but little messy when holding your slice.

Green Garlic Pizza

I learned green garlic is available only during the spring season. I wanted to take advantage of this seasonal vegetable, so I created this green garlic pizza with white garlic sauce, topped with fresh thyme, thinly sliced yukon potato and in-house pork sausage. I originally offered that as a pizza special for one week, but customers loved the green garlic pizza so much I decided to add it to the spring menu. Green garlic is out of season now, but we will definitely offer green garlic pizza again next spring.

Flower Blossom Pizza

I have had this idea for a long while, and wanted to honor all mothers on Mother's Day celebration by offering Flower Blossom Pizza. Mothers who dined at Mozzeria on Mother's Day loved this flowery pizza! Edible pansies, fresh mozzarella, fried squash blossom with ricotta, baby arugula.

Japanese Funghi Pizza

I wanted to come up with an unique mushroom pizza, and I thought of Japanese mushrooms - king oyster, enokitake and buna shimeji. Bechamel sauce came to my mind and I tried it with these mushrooms along with baby spinach. Great tasting pizza for vegetarians! It became so popular that this pizza is now on the Mozzeria menu.

Chive Flower Pizza

I love the taste of chive and saw chive flowers at a market. Then I had the idea to combine three kinds of cheeses - fresh mozzarella, ricotta and fontina then add yukon potato and, after baking, garnish with chive flower. It’s really good! We sold all chive flower pizzas in one weekend when we had expected it to last through the week.

Mozzeria Benedict Pizza

When Mozzeria launched brunch service several months ago, we wanted to offer a breakfast pizza. Our egg benedict was originally on a muffin, but we wanted to give it a twist. My friend came up with a great idea – to make a pizza out of it. We tested this egg benedict pizza recipe and it ended up as our best-selling breakfast item! Although we no longer serve brunch, we will continue to offer Mozzeria benedict pizza during lunch service only. It comes with three choices - prosciutto, mushroom or eggplant.

Micro Basil and Egg Pizza

I wanted to create something special for Easter, when people traditionally eat ham. Fresh egg, yukon potato, micro basil and brown sugar-shallot crumbs. That pizza was a hit with our customers on Easter! Some customers asked if we could continue serving that pizza on the weekends. We also serve it during lunch service.

Korean Short Rib Pizza

This newest creation - my husband adores Korean short ribs and had learned a secret recipe during our vacation in Hawaii years ago. Boneless short rib strips, caramelized onions, baby bok choy, scallions and pickled julienne carrot.

Mozzaeria offers different pizzas every week, in addition to regular pizzas on the menu. If you want to know the current weekly special, you can follow MozzeriaSF on Twitter and  'Like' Mozzeria on Facebook.com/Mozzeria.

Which pizzas are your favorites? If it’s hard to select one, name a few. :)

 

 

 

I was honored to be invited by the Principal of the middle school at California School for the Deaf to be guest speaker at their annual 8th grade promotion ceremony. I made the speech to the 8th graders last week, and would like to share my speech with you.

Looking back to the post I did on Steve Jobs last year, 'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish' was a quote Jobs used in his graduation speech at Stanford University. As I watched the young emcees explain how they chose the ceremony theme, and how fitting it was inviting me to share my journey with them.

I realized the first speech I had ever given was at my own 8th grade promotion ceremony 24 years ago, also at the same school. And here I am giving the speech at the very same event! That was amazing - to see that coming to a full circle.

Russ, my husband and I run Mozzeria, a wood burning pizzeria in San Francisco. I wear many hats at Mozzeria. Besides managing Mozzeria, I make the pizza dough, create pizza recipes, develop the pizza menu, work with both Front of House and Back of House, brainstorm ideas and marketing strategies, and even serve customers at times. How did I get there? The journey was challenging. Let me share my journey with you all.

I was born in Hong Kong to my hearing parents and two years later, my younger brother was born. He is also Deaf. My parents wanted me and my brother to obtain proper education. They sent us to Deaf schools in several countries, but weren't quite satisfied until they learned about Deaf Schools in America. They went to California, and checked out California School for the Deaf in Berkeley (before the school relocated to Fremont the following summer). They met with Dr. Klopping, then-superintendent who was fluent in American Sign Language and also met teachers who are also Deaf. That gave my parents hope. They decided, eventually, to move our family to America in 1980. I still remember the first day at school in Fremont, and being in a brand new town.

I got the first taste of leadership when I became a member of Jr. Eagles during my Middle School years and my parents decided to open their Shanghai restaurant, Wu Kong in downtown San Francisco the following summer. They hosted a grand opening party and I was inspired and in awe of them. That was when I knew I wanted to run a restaurant one day.

In High School, I participated in several organizations and competed in Sports. Little did I know that what I learned during my High School years would apply to the real world. I will share some examples in a short while. When I reached at a point where I wanted to reevaluate my career and my husband knew how much I wanted to run a restaurant. We both knew there were risks involved especially with finances. It became easier once I got my husband's full support. I jetted off to Italy and learned how to make pizza dough. My mom accompanied me on that trip and was my ASL interpreter. My husband loved the pizzas I made after the Italy trip.

The next step was to write a business plan. It took me back to my High School and College years where I had to write term paper and reports. I had a basic understanding how to write the business plan but yes, the business plan required a lot of research and data. I remembered how many times I had to submit to my teacher's satisfaction. I reviewed and rewrote the business plan many times until we were satisfied.

Now was the time to visit the bank for a loan. I was stunned to learn that they wouldn't read and approve our application, even though we had an excellent relationship with the banker. They simply said restaurants are high-risk investment, and that nearly 90% of new restaurants close within a year. I wouldn't let that statistic scare me, and I stayed stubborn. While I was part of the Jr. National Association for the Deaf organization, I had been introduced to "Crisis". The advisors would throw a situation at us, the students, and we had to come up with possible alternative solutions. We had to think of different scenarios, and come up with results.

Now back to the bank situation, I had to think of another way to search for funds. I turned to individuals even though I didn't know some of them personally, but I shared my dream with them. Yes, sure I got rejections but kept going until I found several individuals who believed in me and my dream.

Yay! I found enough funds to start the Mozzeria project. The next step was to find a home for Mozzeria. When I was chairperson for Prom during my High School years, I was instructed to look for a location for the Prom. I chose a yacht in San Francisco as the Prom's location, and learned how to negotiate the rental fee. I also selected individuals who I felt could do best in their areas such as decorations, program book, awards, etc. on the Prom committee. This also pretty much applies to what I was doing with Mozzeria.

I found the location for Mozzeria based on foot traffic, demographics, etc. Russ and I hired skilled laborers who are Deaf. We are very proud of what they had accomplished in their area of expertise. It took us 5 months to compete the renovations, and we finally launched Mozzeria on December 9, 2011.

I want to take this moment to thank you all my teachers and staff who guided me through my 12 years at CSD - their wisdom, and providing me with tools.

Yes, there are times where I felt I should give up after many obstacles but I was reminded of Jobs' quote, Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. I wanted to set an example for my children, and now I feel great that we overcame many obstacles.

As you prepare to enter High School this coming Fall, you have 4 years to try everything - participate in organizations, compete in Sports and excel in school. These skills will come in handy eventually. Make the best of your 4 years in High School. Remember this - If you believe in yourself, anything is possible. I wish you all the best and Congratulations!

 

 

 

There are "two" kitchens at Mozzeria. One is the Stefano Ferrara wood-burning oven in the middle of the restaurant where we cook our pizzas. The other kitchen is where we prepare pasta, small plates and desserts.

Bryan Baker designs and leads preparation of pasta and small plates. At Mozzeria since February, Bryan manned the stoves at some restaurants in his NYC hometown before relocating to San Francisco recently. He is a talented chef.

Everyone hired to work at Mozzeria quickly becomes part of the “Mozzeria family”. We would do anything for our family, and for that reason, Mozzeria is hosting a fundraiser this Thursday night for Bryan's charity.

Bryan will be walking on an 18-mile course during Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk, his chosen charity. The charity is all about raising awareness and prevention against suicide. Mozzeria will donate 10% of proceeds on Thursday night to Bryan's charity.

On his fundraising page, Bryan explains that he lost his brother and best friend, Scott to suicide. "Not a single day passes by without a thought or memory of him. Last year, I completed the overnight walk in New York, the experience was powerful, and the money went to a cause I greatly believe in."

On his dedication page to Scott, Bryan used this quote from Dean Karnazes: Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up.

Let's us help Bryan meet his fundraising goal and protect everyone who are in same situation.

 

 

 

What is happening in June? San Francisco Pride! SF Pride, the largest gathering of LGBT and allies in America, takes place on June 23-24 in Civic Center Plaza.

SF Pride celebrates all members of our community, and ensures that all members have accessibility to communication. Their accessibility services include American Sign Language (ASL) at the Parade Grandstands, Celebration stages, and Deaf Gathering Space.

I love living in San Francisco because San Francisco is known for its diversity. SF embraces our diversity, and recognizes each individual's uniqueness. When you visit San Francisco, you will see many diverse and vibrant neighborhoods including the Castro and Mission. We celebrate our own people through festivals and events almost every month.

Mozzeria is proud to be in partnership with Deaf LGBT, and we are hosting a fundraiser tomorrow evening. We are donating 10% of proceeds to SF Pride Accessibility. Everyone is welcome to come by or make reservations through Mozzeria.com. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/events/415366861814502/.

Let's support and work together to ensure that we all have access to communication at SF Pride!

Cheers,

 

 

When I was working on my vision for art on the walls at Mozzeria, I had set my mind on hiring talented Deaf artists to display their works. Most of the art work to date have been created and arranged by us, but we made an exception for this painting, “Mask of Benevolence”.


We are excited to display this painting by Nancy Rourke at Mozzeria. Nancy's art carries some prestige among the Deaf community. She studied graphic design and painting at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York. Her passion for painting has followed her throughout her life and finally she decided to turn her passion for painting into a full-time job, De'Via work.

She received a grant to study, in recent years through painting, Deafhood, Deaf Culture, Audism, Deaf History, Deaf Politics, American Sign Language and Bilingualism. There is a story in each of her paintings. These stories are based on how she sees the impact, and influence, of political views within the Deaf Community.


My interpretation of the painting was that these people with X on their faces represented those who had children who were Deaf, and thought Deaf people couldn’t lead fulfilling lives. The girl who signed "Stop" was trying to tell everyone that we, Deaf people are fine and can do anything we wish to pursue. I would love to see this painting as inspiration to everyone that anyone can achieve anything they desire and put their minds on.

Nancy says the blue painter tape, showing as ‘X’, is a symbol that she uses in many of her paintings. She says it is “… a resistance remark to audism, oppression, crossed-out, tied down, trapped and masks. The idea of a painter’s blue tape came from the grassroot Deaf organization, Audism Free America.”

Come and check out Nancy's 'Mask of Benevolence' painting at Mozzeria. You can also view more of Nancy's work and paintings at www.nancyrourke.com.

 

 

PRIVATE PARTIES?
I am asked often whether they can host a party at Mozzeria. The answer is, Yes!

We have had many customers host dinner parties at Mozzeria for different occasions. We offer customized menus for parties. There has been Graduation, wedding dinner rehearsal and birthday parties and business dinner meetings.

Mozzeria can seat 45 people. We may be a small restaurant, but Mozzeria has a big heart! We are here to host your event. For further information, contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

NEW WEDNESDAY $20 DEAL
On Wednesdays, we are offering something new here at Mozzeria. In light of the current economic climate, not everyone is able to go out and enjoy food at restaurants. We understand this, as we have gone through it before. We would love to have you come out and enjoy a great meal.

Mozzeria is now offering a $20 three-course prix fix meal on Wednesdays. What is included in the 3-course meal? You get to choose one from 3 small plates (Roasted Japanese Eggplant Crostini, Veal-Pork Meatball Sliders, Arancini with Pomodoro Sauce). Then you have Margherita Pizza and Bombolini as part of this 3-course meal, and we are also including a half-filled glass of house wine or beer. That is a really good deal.

This special is for one person, no sharing and substitutions.  What are you waiting for? Book your table now at Mozzeria.com. We also welcome walk-ins.

Cheers,

 

 

When we occupied the former Il Cantuccio space on 16th Street in Mission district, the landlord had already renovated the space. I sort of felt bad when I told my landlord that we would need to change the look completely. What my landlord didn't realize was that adequate lighting is extremely important to us. At that time, the walls were painted in red and the ceiling was painted in dark chocolate. It was really dark, and we had to resort to the kitchen to communicate because of better lighting.

We hired Patricia (Patty) Foo Hampton to be our interior designer. Patty, who happened to be the child of Deaf parents (CODA), already understood the need for adequate lighting. I shared my vision with her for modern and vintage décor, and throwing it in the mix. I usually love going to restaurants with modern décor, as they give off a certain feel so I could really enjoy its atmosphere. As we were going to use an ancient pizza baking method at Mozzeria, I thought vintage decor would be appropriate.

During construction, Patty and I went over the design plan. She made recommendations on lighting and furniture, and we agreed on a modern look with clean lines. I love her tastes, and was very pleased to see the vision I had earlier implemented exactly as I had envisioned. She knew I wanted to hire skilled Deaf labor including a furniture maker and hardwood flooring specialist. She was a great listener, and made sure that we stayed within our remodeling budget.

When we launched Mozzeria last December, we received a lot of compliments on the Mozzeria look. Patty, you did an amazing job!

Patty and I are now moving into other projects after the launch. I recently mentioned the art project that we were working on. We have just completed two art projects, and hope to have the rest of the artworks completed during the summer. Patty has a website, http://patriciafoohampton.carbonmade.com.

Cheers

 

 

I know it has been awhile since we put up the first series of paintings on the wall at Mozzeria. I am pretty choosy when it comes to selecting and finalizing artwork for the walls here! I am so glad taking the time and being patient is now paying off.

When Gina Pasini, a local artist, explained about her artwork pieces – canvas, wood and creating silhouette and abstract acrylic painting which can be seen at www.etsy.com/shop/aabcdefginaa, I liked what I saw and hired Patty Foo Hampton to coordinate the process of selecting and coordinating artworks for Mozzeria.

As there is banquette seating with a huge empty wall in one corner, I thought Gina’s artwork would be perfect for that wall. Patty suggested that we portray pizza tools. I took pictures of the pizza tools that we use at Mozzeria, and asked Gina to keep the colors consistent with the Mozzeria theme.

We had originally planned on using canvas, but ended up switching to wood. I love how the detailed pizza tools turned out on the wood blocks.

Ta-da! The wall now looks lively with vibrant colors! Customers couldn’t miss these new wall art pieces as they entered the restaurant, and have told me how much they love it. Yes, I agree with them!

 

 

That is what a 1st grader from San Francisco Friends School asked me when his class visited Mozzeria one sunny afternoon. I thought it was an adorable question! I told the first grader that I wasn’t Italian. I bet that boy began to wonder why we opened an Italian restaurant, so I explained that Russ was born in New York City and had developed a special relationship and love for Italian food. Mozzeria is my way of paying tribute to Russ' fondness of Italian food!

We shared with the students the story of the journey we took to finally launch Mozzeria. The students asked Mozzeria staff members how they found out and began work at Mozzeria. Some of us attended culinary school at young age and worked at other restaurants and moved up the ladder. Passion is the key. We also explained how important it is to support the local community. We promote and support local farmers, which gives us a sense of pride knowing our money stays within the communities and that Mozzeria is tied to something bigger like people connecting to the seasons, the land, the food and each other.

At the same time, we use authentic ingredients at Mozzeria including 00 flour and mozzarella di bufala, which are imported from Italy. Our lead cook, Bryan Baker brought out some food examples of what we source from local farmers and suppliers. We treated the students with house-made rhubarb ice cream.

What strikes me the most about this group of hearing 1st graders and their hearing teacher, Alyssa fingerspelled their names when they first saw me. I was curious to find out how they came to knowing basic ASL. Alyssa's mom is an ASL interpreter, and Alyssa likes the idea of teaching her students basic ASL signs. The 1st graders were excited to talk to me using ASL. I would love for everyone to learn ASL and have them communicate in ASL with us when dining at Mozzeria. That would be fun.

 

 

Slice Pizza Blog just asked this question:

Poll: Do You Eat Pizza When Traveling Abroad?

Whenever my husband Russ travels with us, I guarantee you he would try to sample every pizza place that he passes. While we were in Austin, Russ' mom informed us of a new pizzeria, “backspace” in downtown Austin.

I googled up and learned more about backspace. Shawn Cirkiel opened his second restaurant, backspace in December 2011. His first restaurant, parkspace is around the corner and next door to backspace. 

Our entire family went to backspace one evening. As we entered the restaurant, we saw the size is about the same as Mozzeria although its floorplan was quite the opposite. You see their Wood burning oven as you enter. They have a Cirigliano Forni wood burning oven which is imported from Italy.

Backspace serves Neapolitan pizzas, and the decor is really cool. You would know you are in Texas because of the old wooden wheel displayed above the wood burning oven. The location is great - within blocks of lively bars and restaurants in Downtown.

My mom in law raved about their lamb-pork meatballs, and she is right. We were supposed to share few lamb-pork meatball dishes, but ended up ordering one for each one of us. I was somewhat worried that I may not have room for pizza in my stomach as I was already stuffed from eating the meatballs and drinking wine.

My nephew and I shared a whole Margherita pie. My philosophy is whenever you try pizza, you should start with the Margherita. This way you can taste-test the basics – the crust, sauce, and cheese. Then you can order their specialties. We happily shared different pizzas. I was totally stuffed and, to my disappointment, couldn't order dessert.

To answer Slice's question:
Yes of course, we would visit pizzerias to see what's new out there.

 

 

Every year we take a trip during my kids' spring break. This year we had originally planned on spending the break in Los Angeles but since we haven't visited our families in Austin, Texas for a while, timing couldn't be any better. This is why we purchased the airline tickets and, hey, here we are, having jetted off to Austin also known as the Live Music Capital of the World, and "Keep Austin Weird".

On our first night in Austin, we visited our friends Kurt 'Irish Chef' Ramborger and Paul Rutowski's restaurant in Buda. They opened ViUDA Bistro last summer. We were excited to visit their restaurant like I mentioned in my previous post there aren't many restaurants owned and run by Deaf people in America. The cuisine is New American.

I recalled Kurt telling me when he lived in Bay Area and even catered several events at my place several times - that he dreamed of opening his restaurant. I am so glad to see his dream become alive.

ViUDA Bistro offers a new spring menu. I had hoped to try Kurt's famous ‘Corruption Dish’ but it wasn't available that evening. We started off with a complimentary French sliced loaf with honey butter. We ordered the Rosemary Shrimp on Skewer. The presentation looked lovely. I learned that Carrington Steak was almost sold out, and I asked the server if I could have the last Carrington Steak. Lucky me :) I was in mood for some juicy, mean Texan steak. Ending the night with desserts was a must for me. I ordered Tiramisu and Orange Cake. I had tried Kurt's Orange Sorbet before, and Kurt was creative with the orange cake. We stayed a bit late and chatted with Kurt afterwards. It was really great comparing notes among fellow restaurateurs.

 

On a side note, I should mention that Kurt Ramborger was recently crowned as Eater.com's Hottest Chef in America. Congratulations, Kurt!

 

 

 

You would think you don’t need to attend the business conference again after you open your shop.

No.

You got to continue to attend conferences and expos. You would be surprised that, even if you had just opened your shop or been in business for a while, that change comes constantly, and information keeps evolving.

It was our third trip to the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, and it was our first time being away from our Mozzeria "baby". Of course, I was nervous, but I knew Mozzeria is in great hands.

This time, I knew what to look for, and getting answers. We are "done" with purchasing of product and now more interested in networking with other pizzeria operators and discussing operations, labor and food costs. Networking during the Pizza Expo presented great opportunities for us.


We attended several productive workshops. There was one panel with a group of people who owned more than one restaurant. Some owners had expanded their restaurant holdings by converting their pizzerias into franchises, and others who remained independently owned.

Amici's East Coast Pizzeria, a Bay Area based restaurant, has 12 locations. They opened their first shop in San Francisco, I believe, in 1991. The owner, Peter Goodstein mentioned that he continues to come to the Expo to learn new things especially with rapid changes in technology.

Tony Gemignani, who has at least 5 restaurants in the Bay Area, Sacramento and outside of California, was one of the $2m club panelists who shared their experiences with us. He is probably the most well- known figure in the Pizza World and is expanding his brand. Besides overseeing his restaurants in San Francisco, he also runs a pizza school in San Francisco. He is an author, and has appeared on several shows including Jay Leno Show and Food Network TV.

We learned about Elizabeth Falkner, who made her first appearance at Pizza Expo, and we attended her workshop. While demonstrating her starter plates, the opportunity came up to raise questions. I asked how long she had operated her restaurants in San Francisco. She responded 15 years but spent 20 years cooking. Sadly, her restaurants, Citizen Cake and Orson were shut down recently. She asked me if I owned a restaurant. I told her yes, we just opened Mozzeria in San Francisco. She said, yes she had read about Mozzeria in the papers, and wanted to come to Mozzeria. That's cool.

A side note: my son had been rooting for her when she competed in the “Next Iron Chef” TV show on the Food Network. She came in 2nd place.


We also watched a team of pizzaiolos at work making Neapolitan pizzas. We noted variations in some techniques but they all got the same results. It was interesting to observe.

I was in awe of a Master cheese maker as he made fresh mozzarella from curd. It was like watching a Master noodle guy making hand cut Beijing noodles.


We were invited to Vera Pizza Napolenta's private social at Caesars Palace. The event was held poolside and it was beautiful seeing the white and stoic statues surrounding the pools. We mingled with members of VPN, and watched a slideshow highlighting restaurants across the country with VPN certification. I believe there is still one VPN certified restaurant in San Francisco. Mmmmm... maybe we should consider getting VPN certification?

We had a great time at Pizza Expo, and we WILL be back to Pizza Expo next year.

 

 

 

No one can underestimate the power of media, and I’m amazed by the experiences we have had in the short time since December when Mozzeria opened to the general public. I still remember the first article that ran on Mozzeria. That article dubbed Mozzeria as the "Deaf Restaurant", and the "Deaf Restaurant" term spread like wildfire in the media!

I could understand how, and why, the media would become fascinated with Deaf people running a business, and want to tout this angle in their stories.

New restaurants open every week and we become curious to discover what kind of food they offer. I would dare guess that of the hundreds of thousands of restaurants in the States, about ten restaurants are owned/run by Deaf people. When Mozzeria entered the restaurant scene, people became naturally interested in finding out more about the “Deaf couple who had spent all their adult lives working with Deaf people or serving Deaf clients launching Mozzeria.”

I love reading food blogs and restaurant sites, and like to try out new food at these restaurants. I would look at who owned the restaurant, or who is its chef. I think of these foodies who read, and subscribe to food blogs, and had never heard of us before. I was somewhat concerned about Mozzeria being labeled as “the Deaf Restaurant”. I wanted to change that perception, and have people who actually want to come to Mozzeria just to try out our Neapolitan pizzas.

Don't get me wrong... I have been really blessed by the media wanting to do stories on Mozzeria. As we solidify our presence and get taken seriously, I am now trying to get them to focus more on our food although I am really ok with references to us being Deaf as background material in these stories.

As Mozzeria approaches its three month anniversary, we are seeing a lot of repeat businesses from customers who raved and return to eat our Neapolitan pizzas. We count on these customers to spread word about our food. There have been times that some of these customers turn out also to be food writers.

Slice, a well-known national Pizza blog, printed just this morning a review on Mozzeria. Seth Mazow had visited Mozzeria just the other day, and his review can be viewed at http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/03/san-francisco-ca-mozzeria.html.

Thanks Seth for a Great review!

Next week is the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. It would be our third trip to Pizza Expo, but you know what, I am so excited this time we can actually say to our peers at Pizza Expo that we have finally opened Mozzeria! I will share my experiences at Pizza Expo next week.

Have a great week!

 

 

 

House-Made Burrata with Roasted Peppers and Crostini

 

Spring is coming soon. Actually it feels like summer now because the temperature yesterday and today is in the low 70’s. It’s really nice!

What is the first thing to come to mind when you see the word “Spring”? For me, it usually means cleaning the entire house... well, in my case, the closet. :) We are going to give the Mozzeria menu a spring cleaning. We have seen which items are a tremendous hit with our customers, and what items don't do as well especially with the change of seasons.

There has been exciting developments at Mozzeria. We are expanding our dinner and brunch menus. We have been testing some new dishes and you may have seen photos of them that we post to Facebook. These lucky customers who tried our new dishes LOVED our new pasta with Bolognese Ragu! The meat is slow braised for over 24 hours and becomes very tender, which goes very well with Mozzeria’s popular tomato and cream sauce.

For the weekend brunch menu, we have added some sweet and savory dishes. We even created a new brunch cocktail, “Lemon Rose Bellini” which perfectly suits the weather. I should mention that Mozzeria will be closed this Saturday morning for a private function but we will serve the weekend Brunch on Sunday. We are changing hours for the Weekend Brunch to start at 11 am, effective March 3rd. We will also remain open and serve pizzas all day on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to closing.

We will try and update the menus on our website as often as we can, but do keep in mind that the menus are meant to represent the variety that Mozzeria offers.

I strongly encourage you to make reservations at Mozzeria.com. If, for any reason you need assistance with your reservation, you can email your request for tables to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we would be more than glad to handle the reservation.

We will start serving new dishes tonight, and will add a few more dishes next week. You can follow our spur of the moment announcement at Facebook.com/Mozzeria and Twitter: MozzeriaSF. Come try these new dishes, and share your feedbacks with me.

 

 

 

Would you like to know our most friendly Front of House (FOH) Team? We make a great team with the same goals – to see that our customers are happy with our food and service. I am very fortunate to work with them, and they all have amazing personalities!

Who Are They?
You may have wondered who they are, or what they do. Here is the opportunity to get to know our FOH team a little better. We asked each FOH team member the same set of questions.

Adam
Three words to describe me: humorous, charismatic, and outgoing
Occupation: substitute teacher at CSD [California School of the Deaf]
Favorite pizza: pancetta and sausage pizza
Favorite non-pizza: red cabbage bruschetta and limoncello truffle
Favorite drink: fat tire and boylan orange soda

You will “kiss fist” | love me: because I will make you SMILE! :D

Jesse
"- J" but no real nickname.
Stubborn, daring and geeky.
Graduated PSU, bachelors in anthropology, woodworker, and pizza maker.
Duck, cause I LOVE duck and hoisin is great. Mozzeria bar, can't go wrong!
No particular fave drink.

You will “kiss fist” | love me: because I know which items are a mouth orgasm!

Jessica (American Sign Language student)
Jessica or Jess
Positive, quirky, caring
I am currently a Freshman Liberal Studies major at San Francisco State University
My favorite pizza is the margherita, because I LOVE the taste of fresh mozzarella and basil.
Cannolis! The shell is crispy and the filling is sweet but not overpowering.
Coca-Cola, because you have to love the classics.

You will "kiss fist" | love me: I make sure you're happy!

Maria (SODA - 'sibling of a deaf adult')
Funny, caring, giving
I work for an interpreting company doing billing.
Margherita… it is really good... I love the fresh mozzarella and Neapolitan sauce.
Mozzeria bar, because I love the cheese!!
Dessert wine...it tastes so sweet!

You will "kiss fist" | love me: Because I provide good service.

Megan
Known as Meg or Weg
Passionate, radiant and driven.
Work as a freelance graphic designer
Duck, it's a delicious blend of Asian and Italian food baked to perfection!
Jap pumpkin ravioli, it is so good you won't want to share!
I enjoy either back in black or chianti with my pizza, or a mimosa for breakfast.

You will “kiss fist” | love me: because I'm a foodie and aim to please!

Rebecca (CODA - 'child of a deaf adult')
Becca
Compassionate, reliable, silly
Vintage boutique owner & freelance journalist
Italian Sausage, the white garlic sauce is to die for!!!!!!
Salmon Salsa Verde, it is perfectly tender & savory
Virgil's Root Beer or Pinot Grigio!

You will "kiss fist" | love me: I will make you want to come back again and again.

Roxanna (American Sign Language student)
Roxy
Caring, bubbly, friendly.
Student at San Francisco State University, Psychology major
Margherita pizza with mozzarella di Buffala. How could you go wrong, it's the basic of every pizza!
The Japanese Pumpkin Ravioli. I'm obsessed with all things pumpkin! 
Pertinace Barbera red wine, has a nice subtle berry aftertaste.

You will "kiss fist" | love me: I'm going to try and make your time at Mozzeria the best it could be! If there is anything you want - just ask. ciao (or chow, in this case)!

If you have dined at Mozzeria, you will have met some of them. If you plan on visiting Mozzeria in the near future, our FOH team members look forward to meeting and serving you!

 

 

 

Mozzeria hosted many events last week. Although we are usually closed on Mondays, we opened for a private event last Monday. Creativity Explored host a holiday party for their staff. We had a great time serving our customers pizza and wine, and they loved our food and US!

On Wednesday evening, the power suddenly went out. It’s the second time it happened - I know you’re probably thinking “maybe we didn't pay the electricity bill.” But we did pay the bill! When we went outside, we found out that we were not the only ones without power.

PG&E reported that 3,000 residents and businesses in our area were without power and that power may be restored within the hour. Oh, that is not good. Russ ran out and purchased candles for our customers. We were happy to have our wood burning oven because we could STILL serve pizzas to customers. We couldn't serve other food that required cooking. Customers came in and still wanted to eat pizzas in the dark. Great! When the power came back one hour later, we all cheered!

Mozzeria, A Place To Visit?
We have received requests from schools in the Greater Bay Area to give tours at Mozzeria. It was a new experience giving a tour to the first group – 15 deaf students from John O'Connell High School, also in the Mission district. It was definitely fun sharing our story with the students, and we would love to give tours to groups from other schools. I would like to wait until Spring, however, as I need to continue focusing on restaurant operations for the next several months.

We had our first wedding reception at Mozzeria last weekend! The wedding party was so sweet, and the bride was so beautiful in her wedding dress. We feel so honored that they chose Mozzeria to celebrate the special occasion.

The week ended with another private function. Gallaudet University, located in Washington D.C. where Russ and I first met each other, hosted an event at Mozzeria for their alumnus. I know our space was rather small and there are thousands of Gally alumnus in the Bay Area. GUAA mentioned plans to host another one in the near future. It was so wonderful seeing old and new faces last Saturday!

Host Your Event At Mozzeria!
We are getting the hang of hosting special events at Mozzeria, and now welcome opportunities to accommodate your group. You can email your request for information to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Cheers,

 

 

 

Several weeks ago I wrote a post, Call for Artists. I want to thank all artists who submitted their art and proposals. It was a hard decision, and I know I cannot accommodate the works of all artists on the walls at Mozzeria. I am still narrowing down and plan on adding several more to the rest of the walls.

David Call's artwork caught my eye for several reasons - its colors and linocut form. If you wonder what linocut is, Wiki explains, "Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for the relief surface.

“A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised (uncarved) areas representing a reversal (mirror image) of the parts to show printed. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller (called a brayer), and then impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a press." Linocut had been done as early as the 1900's.

The cool thing is that we use the ancient pizza baking method – with a wood burning oven. This art ties to the concept and vision we have at Mozzeria.

David Call used to be my teacher in high school. When I first saw his artwork, I didn't believe it was David Call who did it. He definitely had a hidden talent that I never knew. Wow, he is a truly talented artist, and I am excited and honored to display his artwork on the walls.

Come by Mozzeria and enjoy viewing David's artwork. More of his artwork can be viewed on his website at http://www.eyehandstudio.com.

 

 

 

Do you want to make someone's day great? Now in time for Lunar Year and Valentine Day, I am excited to announce that gift certificates are now available at Mozzeria. You can purchase Mozzeria gift certificates in person, or online at Mozzeria.com.

When you want to surprise someone with delightful gift, GIFTS is now on the navigation bar at Mozzeria.com. You can click and choose the amount. Then you can select whether to print it to give as a gift to the person, or email the gift certificate directly to the person you are purchasing it for. It’s a very simple process!

Speaking of GIFTS at Mozzeria.com, gift certificates will not be the only merchandise available, as we have received comments from people who like and want to order Mozzeria apparel. We are currently exploring the best way to order and ship the apparel. Stay tuned for future Mozzeria announcements by signing up at bottom of any page on Mozzeria.com.

I would like to mention, also that if you attempted to make a reservation through OpenTable.com or Mozzeria.com and received message that no tables were available, groups of 3 or more do book up quickly. We have been in touch with OpenTable and continue to make some adjustments to the reservation system, so when you receive the “Mozzeria is full” message next time at Mozzeria.com, you can send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we can look at actual reservations more closely to see if a table could be opened up for you.

On a last note, I would like to wish you all a healthy and prosperous Year of Dragon.

Cheers,

 

 

 

Casey Crynes and I have something in common. Other than our love for Neapolitan pizzas, he claims the "city's first" title for serving out of a pizza truck. Casey came to Mozzeria last night to try out our pizzas.

According to his tweet,

It is a honor to have had his presence at Mozzeria last night. I had followed Casey on the internet, and was excited for him when he started the pizzeria in his truck. It generated quite a buzz, and I had always wanted to try his pizza.

I returned the favor earlier this afternoon when I stopped by Casey's Pizza Truck! I got to see what it is like to operate within the truck. I love the aesthetics in both its interior look, and its pizzas.

Casey's funghi and margherita pizzas

I ordered the Margherita, and also sampled a slice of funghi. Both are really good. I was delighted to meet another pizzeria owner and compared notes. Casey is awesome!

 

 

 

 

Source: YouTube

When Mozzeria opened for business in December, we realized we were not exactly the right people to create music playlists at Mozzeria. We asked hearing staff members to help create the playlist. It was quite interesting to see how hearing people have different tastes in music. We never knew that. I often have one or two hearing people ride in my car, and they usually would play the same music over and over. I suggested that our music ought to be diverse to satisfy our customers overall.

I downloaded an app on the iPad to play songs, and I didn't know that the music program had commercials until a customer made comment in an email that it was playing commercials which created a disconnect from the music. She suggested that I sign up, and subscribe, to certain music programs that do not play commercials. After we signed up to a service, customers were happy to hear commercial-free songs.

The funny thing is that I have to keep reminding myself to turn music off when leaving the restaurant for the night. I admit that I forgot to turn off music sometimes because I obviously cannot hear the music. I feel bad for my neighbors, and I hope the music didn't keep them awake during the night.

Now let’s talk about the large TV monitor at Mozzeria. We usually show either Football or Basketball games. When no game was being broadcast one evening, one customer made a brilliant suggestion. As hearing customers can enjoy listening to music while dining at Mozzeria, what about deaf customers?

Win-Win Solution
We thought of some deaf people who did amazing song videos in American Sign Language (ASL): how about showing these signed musical videos on the TV monitor at Mozzeria? This way hearing customers could enjoy watching these ASL videos along with deaf customers, and may even learn some new signs!

 

Source: YouTube

There are musical ASL videos signed by talented people. I would love to show them at Mozzeria. What do you think?

Cheers,