Pizza Today - November 2017 - 16

Conversation

MIKE COLELLA
BROOKLYN M.C.'S HAS BEEN
IN OPERATION FOR 20 YEARS,

WHEN WE DECIDED
TO OPEN Brooklyn M.C.'s
Mike Colella (left) follows in
the footsteps of his parents,
Esther (center) and Michael
(right) Colella as a secondgeneration operator of 20-yearold Brooklyn M.C. Pizzeria

B R O O K LY N M . C .
PIZZERIA
LITTLETON, CO

Pizzeria in 1997, the goal
was to serve thin-crust,
East Coast pizza, along
with other fresh-to-order
authentic Italian cuisine.
The food is important,
but even more so is that
familiar face behind the
counter, whether it is
my dad (Michael), mom
(Esther) or me (Mike);
one of us or all of us are
there. Located in Littleton,
Colorado, where restaurant
chains are very popular,
we had the challenge of
educating people on why
our food was special.
Slowly but surely, people
turned into customers who
became part of the family.
Customers became loyal
customers because we
genuinely take an interest
in them; meaning we know
their name, what they
will order and where they
vacationed.

1 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7

which is a big accomplishment for
my family. However, we owe this
to my dad who had a vision and
decided to run with it. His sister,
Silvia, and her husband, Rico
(who also own a pizzeria), played
an important role in helping my
dad learn the business. Starting a
business is hard work, which takes
an endless amount of tenacity.
I watched my dad put in long
hours, including the grunt work
like washing dishes and mopping
floors. He continued to persevere
through the ups and downs
of running a business. In the
beginning, since hiring employees
was not an option, my dad would
call on my sister, my mom and me
to help him out during the busy
lunch and dinner rush. Eventually,
word of mouth helped our little
family mom and pop business
become noticed. When you walk
into the pizzeria you are greeted
by the most amazing smell! The
walls are red and covered in décor
of photos of New York and other
memorabilia. The action is up
front, so you can watch the dough
being flipped in the air and food
going in and out of the ovens.

I AM HONORED TO BE
FOLLOWING MY DAD as a

second-generation operator.
When we moved to Colorado
in '94, there was no talk of
opening a pizzeria. My dad had
always been self-employed, so
working for someone else was
not an option. However, my dad
knew he had to do something
to provide for his family. When
the opportunity presented itself
to take over a deli shop (that
was going out of business) that
had some of the main pieces
of equipment needed to open
a pizzeria, my dad didn't think
twice. I admire him because
he took on a huge risk that did
not have a guarantee of being
successful. My parents always
pushed forward to make the
business what it is today. And
when they are ready to retire,
I look forward to continuing
the legacy. I am thankful that
my dad taught me an endless
amount of lessons over the
past 20 years. I think the most
significant takeaway is that
consistency is key...consistency
with the recipes as well as
how the food is prepared.
Consistency is what brings your
customers back.
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Pizza Today - November 2017

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