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With the Hapa Bros paving the way for more food trucks being welcomed to San Juan Bautista, a new entry to the scene arrived this year: Mattia Pizza, which serves up authentic Italian pizzas and calzones several days a week in town while also holding down a spot at the Hollister Farmers’ Market.
Authenticity is the key word: chefs Letizia and Samuele Polverosi got their training at significant cooking institutes in the heart of Florence, Italy: Letizia was certified by Florence’s Scuola di Are Culinaria Cordon Blue and Samuele has a diploma from the Accademia Pizzaioli Italiani Internazionale.
“Cooking is the Italian passion,” said Samuele. “My grandmother is from Naples, and it is our dream to follow the Naples tradition. Our pizza is not heavy; you can eat two of them and not have agita (heartburn).”
The Polverosis came to the United States eight years ago in part to give their son, Mattia, who has just started college, a better future. Samuele worked for a year under a sponsored visa from a Santa Cruz restaurant called Ramon’s before a change in ownership left him unhappy and wanting to move on.
“We talked to our immigration lawyer,” Letizia said, “and she told us we could change our status from sponsor to investor. We wanted to open a restaurant, “but when you come here as an immigrant, you cannot get a loan because you have no history.”
Deciding they had enough funds for a food truck, they had the good fortune to Lauren Kates, owner of Aunt LaLi’s Treats food truck and founder of Food Trucks A Go Go, which stages food truck gatherings. Kates helped to make Mattia a reality.
“We didn’t know the rules,” Letizia said, “and she said, ‘I can help you.’ She advised us on building the truck and helped us get the permits we needed. She really got us going in the right direction, and when we were ready, she said, ‘Come and work with me.’”
Another big break came from an early collaboration with Corralitos Brewing, which began offering them regular dates at their venue in Watsonville.
“They told us beer and pizza are a perfect combination,” Letizia said. “After about a year and a half, some customers started asking us about doing private parties and catered events, so we started specializing in those.”
One of those jobs resulted in them discovering San Juan at the invitation of former mayor Chris Martorana, who, with his wife Angela, met the Polverosis at a Christmastime celebration at Eden Rift. The Martoranas offered to let them set up shop on a lot they own on the corner of Fourth and Franklin streets.
“My wife and I fell in love with the pizza and with them,” he said. “It’s very authentic Italian pizza—a nice size and made with simple but high-quality ingredients. They are really nice people, and I just love that style of pizza.”
With Martorana’s help, the Polverosis were able to get their first three-day permit and, according to Letizia, did very well.
“It was a big success,” Letizia said. “We sold a lot, and Chris helped us get a permit to stay through June 30th.”
Their only real concern was that they would be competing against the Hapa Bros, who park at Vertigo Coffee on Friday nights. Their previous experiences with the more highly competitive food truck scene in Santa Cruz kept them from even introducing themselves until, one day, they found their truck was to be parked next to the Hapa Bros at the Hollister Farmers’ Market.
“I was trying to avoid them and walking very softly,” Letizia said. “But they came over, and they were so friendly and so fantastic! And when we had some trouble with our oven one time, they came inside and asked if they could help. It is not like Santa Cruz here at all.”
The core of their popularity, they said, comes from their dedication to recreating very basic and time-tested recipes. Everything is made from scratch from the very best ingredients and prepared simply.
“People think making the sauce is hard work,” Samuele said. “It’s not. It is tomatoes and salt and basil. And when you finish cooking, you add olive oil. That’s it. That’s it. It is very easy when you do it the right way.”
His dough is a particular point of pride for Samuele. He uses very little yeast, just one and a half grams per kilo of flour. Then, he lets it rise for 36 hours, resulting in an airy and light crust.
“When you eat a pizza,” he said, “you want to taste the crust, not just all the stuff you put on it. The crust should be like a bread—that’s the best.”
The pizza menu is also simple and strictly Italian—you will not find ham and pineapple here. Variations of pizzas with house-made sausage predominate, but there are also vegetarian choices besides the classic Margherita, such as the Veggie, with onion, bell peppers, and zucchini and the Pesto, with garlic, black olive, pesto and mushrooms.
One particularly intriguing pizza, the Prosciutto, was sold out on the day I visited. It is an occasional special made with prosciutto, arugula and balsamic vinegar.
The same dough used for the pizzas is also used in the calzones on the menu, which are made with mushrooms and a choice of pepperoni or sausage. Gluten-free crusts are available for an additional $4, and Letizia makes a killer tiramisu in limited quantities.
With their exposure at the Farmers’ Market increasing their local reputation and the satisfaction that the Polverosis have found in the friendliness of the county, they plan to make San Juan the home base of their business for years to come.
“We have had a chance to make people happy with our food,” Samuele said. “After eight years, coming here has made our lives perfect. Now that we have come here, we are here for life.”
Pizzas from Mattia Pizza
Samuele made me a combo pizza in his three favorite styles. The lines between them blurred some in the baking, but each retained its distinctive charms. But the common thread, the crust and the sauce, elevated all three.
Margherita – If you really want to taste the quality of ingredients, the Margherita is a good start. It is as traditional as pizza can get, with just a crust covered in San Marzano tomato sauce, organic basil, fresh mozzarella and olive oil. But the freshness shines through in the crust’s rustic flavor and the brightness of the sauce.
Montanara – A combination of sausage, ham, mushrooms and mozzarella, this is a meatier and more satisfying pizza. Samuele makes the sausage himself with typical simplicity. “You buy the ground pork,” he said, “and you mix it with salt and garlic. You cover it and put it in the refrigerator. You open it after one or two days, and it’s the best. It is easy.” The result is a pure pork taste without being hidden in excessive seasoning. It harmonizes nicely with the ham and, of course, mingles well with the sauce. And home pizza chefs are in luck: Samuele plans to produce sausage for sale around Thanksgiving.
Bomba – The Bomba is a pizza for a more spice-driven and perhaps daring palate, and it is my pick of the three. It is a classic combination of tomato sauce, salami, and pepperoni, but with an added sprinkle of crushed pepper and a drizzle of spicy oil. The heat brings out all of the savory notes from the ingredients and binds them together deliciously. It also nicely highlights the sweet/acid characteristics of the sauce. It is not quite the flavor bomb that the name implies, but it is more of a compelling heat that increases with each bite. You are not going to find this one at a chain pizzeria!
The Mattia Pizza website gives some background on Samuele and Letizia Polverosi and a link to catering information. They can be reached at (669) 236-9182 or mattiapizza04@gmail.com. They are part of the Monday Night Lights event in San Juan Bautista at Abbe Park from 5:30-7 p.m. and the Hollister Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays from 3-7 p.m. When not catering a special event, they can usually be found at the corner of Fourth and Franklin streets starting at 4 p.m. Special appearances are posted to their Instagram and Facebook pages.
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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