SAN FRANCISCO—“Pizza” is one of those words that countries around the world all recognize as decadent oven-baked bread slathered in tomato sauce and tossed with all sorts of wonderful toppings. In fact, according to Google Translate, the only languages that stray from the word “Pizza” are the languages that do not write with Roman letters. With word origins of “mouthful” and “to pluck,” pizza is a delicacy in any language!
This includes American Sign Language (ASL), and one couple is making sure that San Francisco knows it.
Melody and Russell Stein, both deaf, own Mozzeria Pizza in the Mission District of San Francisco. Since 2011, they have been hand-crafting pizzas and cooking them to perfection in their wood-burning oven. Recently, Mozzeria Pizza has expanded a bit.
The couple just purchased a food truck in the form of a trolley, a nod to their home city. Brandishing its own oven, their trolley truck has been making its way back from Florida to northern California, feeding customers along the way.
Having been born and raised on pizza in New York, Russell doesn’t fear the quality of the food, the real challenge comes from integrating Mozzeria Pizza into the hearing community. In San Francisco, hearing people write down their orders on paper, while Deaf people sign away. The Steins also use a video relay service, so people can call in their orders with the aid of an interpreter.
The couple’s success can be attributed to their unique blend of toppings. They serve a variety of pizzas, like Peking Duck, Hosui Pear, and the classic Margherita pizza, all in bold on their website to indicate their popularity with the San Fran crowd. If you aren’t full after a 12-inch pie, the Steins have several house-made desserts that will alleviate that problem, along with the right beer or wine for any occasion.
As their website claims, “A dining experience unlike any other…”