Half-pint chef sells half-baked pizzas in Southampton
Thirteen-year-old Andy Mosolino makes "take-and-bake" pizzas at The Deli Counter Fine Foods in Southampton, July 2014. Credit: Deli Counter Fine Foods
Plenty of 13-year-old boys love pizza. Ordering and eating it, that is. But Andy Mosolino decided he’d rather make and market it.
Mosolino's partially cooked “take-n-bake” pies are sold at The Deli Counter Fine Foods in Southampton (which is owned by his father, Michael Mosolino) as well as at such East End venues as Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead and Sir Ivan’s Castle in Water Mill.
The Deli Counter churns out hundreds of pies each week during the busy summer months. Andy comes in a few times a week to cut and form it into large (18-inch) or small (9-inch) rounds. The pizzas are par-baked for four or five minutes and left to cool overnight. The next day, the pies are topped, packed and labeled.
Mosolino’s toppings include fresh mozzarella and tomato, chicken and broccoli, sausage and pepper, Buffalo chicken and Uncle Tony’s clam and bacon. On any given day there are seven or eight pizza varieties ready to go in the case, but customers can also have them topped on the spot — with anything that’s available in the deli. At home, the pizzas requires about 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven. (They can also be stored the refrigerator for up to four days.)
Regardless of the number of toppings, small pies cost $8.99, large pies, $14.99 at The Deli Counter, 623 Hampton Rd., Southampton, 631-283-1774.
