Pizza Today June 2021 - 51

Marcus Medina

unique. Also our business name. We wanted to
be something that resonated with locals. We
felt like nothing says Northern California like
Hella. You can pin the region where we are
from just by that word. We are just locals cooking for locals and that authenticity brings us
more support than you can imagine.
What do you do to motivate your staff
during these challenging times?
I'm still not quite sure how to motivate
people. I'm not sure if we can. I definitely have
surrounded myself with a staff that motivates
me to be better. Constantly trying to make our
staff 's jobs easier, more efficient and comfortable. Also, being conscious of their time and
time off. Hopefully that shows my team that I
care and I'm thinking about them. If they see
that, then I think they will buy into the work.

Hella Pie Pizza Company - Tracy,
California
How did you begin working in the
pizza industry?
It was around my 30th birthday when
I felt that I wasn't happy with doing
construction my whole life. I decided that
I wanted to start a
mobile wood-fired pizzeria after cooking
in my backyard for friends and family. We
were mobile for about 2.5 years. We did
farmer's markets, breweries, weddings and
pretty much any type of party you'd want
to get catered. Then the pandemic hit and
all the parties stopped. An opportunity
came to take over an existing bakery in
our hometown and we jumped on it.
What's been your biggest challenge in the pizza business?
My biggest challenge has been how to

make sure that we're achieving our most
consistent product. Every day I feel like
we are going to war with constant changes
and obstacles. How we navigate ourselves
as a unit to overcome them is truly the
challenge. Overcoming those obstacles as
a team is also one of the most rewarding
things though - family, friends and staff.
It takes us all so I'm very thankful for our
support system. We couldn't do this alone.
What is something uniquely you
that you have brought to the pizza
industry?
When I was a kid growing up in the
90s pizza was so cool and fun. Branding
was on point. I've kind of brought that
type of nostalgia back for both adults
and children. We were all kids at some
point and so making pizza is fun, but also
simple and beautiful at the same time.
That is what I think makes my business

What is something you've learned at
Pizza Expo that has helped guide your
business?
I feel blessed to have started this career in my
30s. Starting a new career you have to swallow
your pride or ego. Not that we should have one
anyway. For a while I felt alone. I hadn't grown
up in the industry so I was very unsure about
everything. I booked my first Pizza Expo in
2019. After that trip I didn't feel so alone anymore. I felt like I was embraced with love and
support. I started building on those relationships made in Las Vegas and eventually found
that my pizza naturally got better from all of
the knowledge shared through the conversations with mentors that I look up to.
What area do you feel like you currently
need to improve upon to continue taking
your pizza business to the next level?
Being a self-taught pizza maker/entrepreneur, I guess you could say that I'm Hella
insecure. It's a blessing and a curse. Everything
that I do probably takes me a little longer because I want to figure it out. I definitely try and
keep things simple but I feel like I need to get
out of my comfort zone and get around people
with more knowledge. I try to fill my time with
podcasts, audio books or videos. I'm looking forward to taking some hands-on classes
though so that I can start taking my chef skills
to a higher level.
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Pizza Today June 2021

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