Pizza Today - September 2021 - 10

CONVERSATION
ANNA
CRUCITT
Mercurio's
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
Concept:
Mercurio's is a full-service
Italian eatery that specializes in
artisan gelato and Neapolitan
pizza. We strive to offer our
guests an authentic Italian
experience at our restaurant.
Pizza:
We make a Neapolitan style
pizza with simple ingredients:
water, Caputo flour, yeast
and salt. We do a long
fermentation, about a threeto-six-hour
bulk fermentation
and then we roll our dough
balls. They rise another 36 to
48 hours before being used.
Hydration that works best for
us is about 62 to 68 percent.
With a successful gelato business, what
went into adding Neapolitan pizza in 2011?
Our gelato shop has transitioned a few times
before becoming Mercurio's. We needed to
make the adjustment of adding food to our
menu because having only gelato in Pittsburgh
made business difficult in the winter. To add a
pizza restaurant to our existing gelato business,
we had to move locations in our small shopping
district to have a larger building. We also spent
a lot of time educating ourselves on how to run
a full-service restaurant and on how to properly
make Neapolitan pizza.
What has been key to operating a successful
business with your siblings?
We understand each other's roles and we
don't move into each other's lanes. We all
have the same goals for our businesses and
understand what it takes to meet them. It
helps that we are all competitive people and
10 / PIZZATODAY.COM / SEPTEMBER 2021
therefore take personal responsibility for our
work so we can all win together.
You took Second Place in the Gluten-free
Division at the 2019 Caputo Cup. What advice
do you have for other operators struggling to
perfect their gluten-free pizza dough?
Talk to your vendors to find information
on what gluten-free products are available,
try them all and use them as a base. Don't be
afraid to blend different flours such as potato
starch, brown or white rice flour, or tapioca
starch into different brands. We add a lot more
water to our flour now than we did initially and
it helped a lot with the density and texture.
Use rice flour to stretch the product and try
to press it on a wooden surface to help with it
sticking. The flour is easier to press when cold
and using a small wooden roller for the center
will help get it thin without creating a hole.

http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM

Pizza Today - September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - September 2021

Commentary
Digital
Conversation
Mike's Monthly Tip
Man on the Street
Building Blocks
Tony's Trending Recipe
Knead to Know
Destinations
Sustainability Pays
Heat Preferences
Clean Ice
Cheese Pairings
Desserts that Sell
Booze-free Beverages
Tortellini
On the Road: Catcha-Fire Pizza, Cincinnati, OH
Tipping Trends
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - September 2021 - CT1
Pizza Today - September 2021 - CT2
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Cover1
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Cover2
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Commentary
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 4
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 5
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 6
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 7
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Digital
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 9
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Conversation
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 11
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Mike's Monthly Tip
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 13
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 15
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Building Blocks
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 17
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Tony's Trending Recipe
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 19
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Knead to Know
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 21
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 22
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 23
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Destinations
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 25
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Sustainability Pays
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 27
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 28
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 29
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Heat Preferences
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 31
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 32
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 33
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Clean Ice
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 35
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 36
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 37
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 38
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 39
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Cheese Pairings
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 41
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 42
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 43
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Desserts that Sell
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 45
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Booze-free Beverages
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 47
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 48
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 49
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Tortellini
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 050A
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 050B
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 51
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 52
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 53
Pizza Today - September 2021 - On the Road: Catcha-Fire Pizza, Cincinnati, OH
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 55
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 56
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 57
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 58
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 59
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Tipping Trends
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 61
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 62
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 63
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 65
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 67
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 68
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 69
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 70
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 71
Pizza Today - September 2021 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 73
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 74
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 75
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 76
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 77
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 78
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 79
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 80
Pizza Today - September 2021 - 81
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Cover3
Pizza Today - September 2021 - Cover4
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