The son of Blues City Deli owner Vince Valenza is stoking the wood-fired pizza ovens of Melo’s Pizzeria. Joe Valenza, who co-owns the new Benton Park eatery with his father, plans to begin serving pizzas from the garage-turned-pizza shop at 2438 McNair Ave., on Friday, Dec. 18.
As The Scoop reported in February, Joe Valenza, a self-taught pizzaiolo, named the store for his paternal grandfather, Melo. The small, standing room-only pizzeria will offer five Americanized Neapolitan-style pizzas, and customers can also customize their own 12-inch pizzas. Like Blues City, Melo’s is counter-service; customers order their pizzas, then take them to-go or enjoy them at the standing bar, inside Blues City or (when warmer weather arrives) at one of 30 patio seats outside.
In the future, Valenza said he’d like to supply his father’s deli with bread while he bakes his house-made pizza dough. Melo’s regular hours in the new year will be 4:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come when doors open at Melo’s next week.
-photos by Michelle Volansky
This article appears in December 2015.