Get ready to add another delicious L.A. pizzeria to your regular rotation of Friday night pizza spots. pi00a (pronounced “pie-oh-ah”) is an unprecedented restaurant concept even in Los Angeles, arguably the capital of unique food fusion concepts. They serve up wonderfully unusual fusion pizzas that symbolize celebration and unity by showcasing the harmonious blend of Italian and Asian culinary traditions. And they’re serving up all this deliciousness while supporting their local Deaf community here in Los Angeles County.
This Deaf and CODA family-owned pizzeria in Los Angeles was founded by Melody, Russ, Taysia, and Rylan Stein. (CODA stands for “children of Deaf adults.”) Melody and Russ knew one of the main goals of their new business would be to provide training and career opportunities to Deaf individuals. Unfortunately, they’d closely observed the struggle to get hired by so many in the Deaf community. Their company’s mission became focused on giving Deaf employees career opportunities even without prior job experience. Additionally, they’ve created a unique working environment and eliminated possible communication barriers within their restaurant through automating their touch screen ordering system in-store and only offering pick-up or delivery of their pizzas. Plus, they’ve created a 100% accessible workplace by using American Sign Language to communicate with employees.
The name “pi00a” comes from “pizza” except replacing the zz’s with 00 which is the type of flour they use for the authentic Neapolitan pizza crusts. And they know all about authentic crusts because they received the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana Pizzaioli certification in 2014 officially making them the first Deaf professional pizza makers. Their pizza flavor inspiration comes from their blended cultural backgrounds with Russ growing up in New York City and Melody calling Hong Kong home. Drawing inspiration from her Asian culture, pi00a specializes in handcrafted fresh and frozen pizzas that blend traditional Neapolitan techniques with the flavors of her Asian roots.
They have traditional pizzas on the menu like Marinara, Margherita, Soppressata, Spicy Soppressata, and Quatro Formaggi. But the biggest draws are their unique flavor combinations like the popular Hainan Chicken pizza with pickled english cucumber, poached chicken, ginger-leek sauce, and crispy rice. The Miso Eggplant pizza features roasted eggplant, miso, sesame, and leek, and it’s a vegan favorite. The Asian Pear pizza stars Hosui pear, fior di latte, arugula, lemon vinaigrette, pancetta, and reduced balsamic. Plus, they have a Spicy Chili Crunch condiment that gets rave reviews online and can be used to top everything from eggs to bagels.
Learn more about pi00a and their mission to support the local L.A. Deaf community here on their website, and follow them on Instagram here to see all the tempting pizzas they offer.
Location: 615 N. Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004