Motherly love in a crust

Pizza places are sprouting all over the city, just like its most valued topping – the mushroom. Local alternatives to the more established international franchises have found a niche among Cebuano consumers. It has already become almost a monthly affair, new pizza parlors adulterating the air with mouthwatering fumes in almost every block in the metro. This should be made into a crime as this poses a risk to the abstemious lifestyle of weight watchers.

As if on cue, Mamma Maria’s Pizzeria opened its second outlet in the metro last July 23 at Mactan Town Center, Lapu-Lapu City.

Toots Jimenez Jr., the pizza place’s public relations consultant, revealed that Mamma Maria started as a cart in one of Bacolod City’s malls. Because of its good taste, affordability and size, people began to come in droves, forcing the owners to open a bigger store equipped with an oven that is known to bake the biggest pizza this side of the region – all 63 inches of it!

This year, two more stores are set to be opened in the city – one in IT Park and another along Gen. Maxilom Ave. Another store will open in General Santos City.

What makes Mamma Maria different from other pizza places is the fact that they try to innovate and adapt to local flavors. A new addition to their growing number of choices (now pegged at 27) is the Kinilaw Pizza, Tangigue marinated in vinegar, laid on a bed of rich tomato sauce carpeted dough and topped with sticky melted mozzarella cheese.

And since its introduction, the sour Kinilaw Pizza has grown a following. Other top sellers are: Fantastico, a meat-eater’s comfort food with meatballs, pork tenderloin, ham and salami generously sprinkled all over a thin crust that’s been spread with tomato sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese; Black and White, beef and pork tenderloin, and mushrooms laid over a thin crust delicately carpeted with tomato sauce and then topped with mozzarella cheese and Béarnaise sauce (clarified butter and egg yolks with tarragon and shallots); the all time favorite Pepperoni Pizza with pepperoni, bell peppers, onions and mushroom sprinkled over a dough covered in tomato sauce and then topped with mozzarella cheese; and then the Mamma Mia Pizza, which is tomato sauce covered dough with ground beef, ham, salami, onions and bell pepper generously spread throughout and then topped with oozing mozzarella cheese.

A curious offering would be the Crocodile Pizza with toppings of real crocodile meat. But then, who could tell the difference?

Should you be undecided which flavor to try, well, fret not, as Mr. Jimenez revealed, you can request for a cornucopia of flavors in one crust, just not a different flavor per slice, of course. So why not try Kinilaw Pizza and the Crocodile Pizza as parts of a large pie?

Prices range from P49 for a single-size pizza to P1730 for a 30-incher that can feed a dozen hungry people. The prices, however, would depend on the toppings, as well. You can therefore have a 30-incher for as low as P695 for the basic tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Both shops are open 24-hours and accept delivery (Lapu-Lapu City: 494-1000, Cebu City: 417-1177).

So, if you get that Italian craving in the middle of the night, head on to one of Mamma Maria’s pizza places to get that good ol’ motherly love in a crust.