Growing up, Angelo spent most of his time learning the ins and outs of Italian cuisine at his parent’s local restaurant. After carrying forth his family’s legacy with an Elmwood Park eatery of his own, Angelo decided to expand his reach by creating a line of gourmet frozen pizzas using his mother’s beloved recipe from 1968.
Massa Pizza Company brings a true taste of Italy to your kitchen — simply pop these Sicilian-style bakery pizzas in the oven and enjoy Italy’s most comforting cuisine within minutes. Whether you’re in the mood for classic pepperoni or hearty Italian sausage, each pizza is made with 100% real cheese, natural ingredients, and zero artificial flavors. The handmade dough is fermented for 48 hours, yielding a flavorful crust that becomes perfectly crisp once cooked, while top-tier Italian meats and cheeses sit generously on top.
Recently, we caught up with Angelo to learn more about his journey and hear his advice for fellow entrepreneurs.
1. Why did you start Massa Pizza Company?
First off, my love for the food industry started back when my parents owned and operated their own Italian restaurant and bar. I grew up in the business of making the finest Italian delicacies, including everything from pasta to homemade focaccia to freshly roasted coffee and gelato. It was there that I grew a strong passion for the tradition of Italian cuisine. I went on to open my own restaurant in 1999 with my wife, Giovanna, and Massa Cafe Italiano has been a staple in our community for 25 years where we serve similar Italian dishes and treats as my parents did.
Through the years, we expanded our business outside of the restaurant, selling wholesale coffee and gelato to grocery stores and restaurants in the Chicagoland area. Through my work in the grocery space, I realized that there wasn’t a high-quality, authentic frozen pizza I would comfortably serve at Sunday dinner with my family. I adapted a recipe that came from my mother’s restaurant and had gone on to serve at my own restaurant — a Sicilian-style bakery pizza. With much research and development, we created the frozen version of this recipe because we wanted to share our beloved creation with the whole country.
2. What obstacles did you face along the way?
The biggest obstacle was maintaining the quality of our pizza while managing the price point. Our commitment to using high-quality ingredients and making each pizza by hand means our prices are higher than some other brands. Using all real ingredients such as California tomatoes, fresh mozzarella with no cellulose, nitrite-free pepperoni, freshly roasted veggies, and crusts hand-docked in olive oil, meant staying true to our promise of quality even if we knew it would be a little tougher to sell stores on. It took some time to break through that obstacle of showing stores and customers why our pizzas are worth the price, but we’ve been successful in our efforts so far. Once you take a bite of the pizza, you can understand why!
3. What lessons do you have for other entrepreneurs?
Massa Pizza wasn’t created overnight nor was it an instant success, but I truly believed in the product and knew that there was a hole in the market for a product like this. When I faced challenges, I remembered why I love to do what I do — make real, authentic, and delicious food available to all. If you love what you do and are confident in what you’ve created, be relentless in your pursuit of your goals. Never give up and never let “no” keep you from continuing the climb. Keep pushing forward because you never know how far you can go until you try. One day, you’ll look back and be so glad that you never gave up.
4. What’s on the horizon for Massa Pizza Company?
As a small family business from the suburbs of Chicago, we are incredibly proud of how far we've come. We plan to continue growing and expanding nationwide while preserving our family business values. We also are always coming up with new and innovative ideas and have some exciting limited-time pizza selections coming up soon!
5. How do you keep work/life balance? What drives/inspires you?
Although I dedicate a lot of my time to work, I make sure to still reserve some time for activities I enjoy, such as golf and spending quality time with my family. Although my work is centered around food and I work with my children, I also love to cook a feast for my family on Sundays and hang out with my German Shepherd, Oliver.
What drives me is my vision for Massa Pizza Company. I am always inspired when I see somebody try our product for the first time — it’s always a priceless reaction. I am determined to create the number one specialty frozen pizza in the country, and I believe we can achieve that goal because we all truly believe in the product!
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