“Given that the city has of late been beset with a surplus of high-end pizzerias, it's easy to forget that the best pizzas don't necessarily require a wood-burning oven imported from Naples. And that's why the pies that Mark Bello teaches his students to make at Pizza a Casa are such a revelation. Bello doesn't use fancy ingredients—think Fleischmann's yeast and AP flour—or a fancy oven (it's set at an attainable 500 degrees), but the crusts that he conjures up are as crisp, chewy, and delicately charred as anything served at a restaurant. The toppings are applied with expert balance and minimal fuss, and the best part is that you can easily make it at home. Power to the people.
Rebecca Marx, The Village Voice
Mark Bello, founder of Pizza a Casa Pizza School, is a tour-de-force of creativity and energy, sharing his knowledge and love of pizza with unpretentious ease. Born in NYC and raised on the famous thin crust pizzas indigenous to his NY and NJ upbringing, his passion for pizza was put to the test while he worked his way up to an MFA in Sculpture from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Far from home and in a land of deep-dish and dismal fast-food pizzas, he vowed to feed his need for the pizzas of his youth, so he took to the kitchen and mastered a recipe for perfect pizza baked in the home oven. After a decade-plus of refining, including a period of living, eating and cooking in Italy, Mark returned in 2005 to his East Coast roots and established Pizza a Casa as an avant-garde catering and educational company. For the next five years, he taught at various venues around New York City, including the Astor Center, Whole Foods, and Murray's Cheese. Urged forward by increasing demand for pizza education and pizza gear recommendations, Mark opened the Pizza a Casa Pizza School and retail shop in April 2010. His pizzas have been praised in publications including Time Out New York, Food & Wine, Tasting Table, The Village Voice, Epicurious.com, Entrepreneur and were a sold-out hit at his demonstration and tasting at the James Beard House. Mark’s pizza expertise has also been featured on Martha Stewart’s “Morning Living” radio , WNYC’s Lopate and Locavores, and Travel Channel’s “Food Wars: NYC Pizza.”
“We are pleased to count you as a member of the Beard family. Thank you for a truly awesome workshop.
You are a rock star!” Izabela Wojcik, Director of House Programming, The James Beard Foundation
general inquiries: info@pizzaacasa.com or to reach our store (212) 228-5483
pizza workshop tickets: buy tickets at Zerve or call (212) 209-3370
private event inquiries: booking@pizzaacasa.com
media inquiries: jenny@pizzaacasa.com
Copyright © 2012 Pizza a Casa, Inc. All rights reserved
