Maria's Original Pizza

Maria’s Original Pizza has been serving Brantford from their location at 428 Colborne St. E. since 1968. This Italian take out kitchen serves individual pizza slices all the way up to 35-slice squares. We spoke with owners Gino and Bobbie-Sue Risi, to learn more about this beloved local pizza spot.

Tell us more about “The Originals” referenced in the name of the restaurant:

“The Originals were just that, they were the women that worked beside my mom, Maria. They were family members and close friends. They are the reason why I have a pizza shop today! They loved it like it was their own place. Some of the ladies that worked alongside my mom were her sister Rosa, and her sister-in-law Serafina., There was also Filomena, Clementina, Lina, and Dominica, these ladies worked their hearts out for us over the years. I pay homage to them through the timeline wall at the pizzeria.”

Tell us the story behind your location at 428 Colborne St. E.

"Maria’s Original Pizza has been operating at 428 Colborne St East since 1968. However, at one point in time there were three locations in the city – one on King George Rd. which opens in 1988 and another on Colborne West in 1992. When we were three locations, Maria’s Original on Colborne St. E. made everything in-house for the other shops. The sauce, the dough, and the cheese was all delivered to the other sites.”

In 2017, a fire sadly destroyed their pizza shop. Gino says that they weren't sure if they even wanted to rebuild. "The neighbourhood was changing, businesses were closing, it was a scary time to know what to do. But we decided to rebuild in the same location after two years. During that time, we hadn’t done anything in the pizza world for over two years - we hadn’t made dough, we hadn’t made sauce! But our friend John Longo came in the first week we opened. He had his pizza with a can of Coke and said: 'This is like the old times. This is Maria’s Pizza right here, at its finest. This pizza and a can of Coke brings back memories of my childhood.' and when he said that we knew the rebuild was meant to be."

When someone orders from Maria’s Original they get a number 1 to 40, but never 13. Why is that?

“My mom wouldn’t put number 13 on the ordering sheets. Superstitious!”

What’s the most popular item on the menu?

“Our most popular pizza is "The Usual", it’s pepperoni, bacon and mushroom. We’ve been using canned mushrooms since 1968 and a few years ago I wanted to add fresh mushrooms as a topping. Both are good, but our customers that we’ve had for 50 years will never put fresh mushrooms on their pizzas and that’s the way they like it.”

What’s one item that everyone must try?

“One thing you must try is our Spaghetti and Meatballs. I hand rolls the meatballs and use a recipe that’s been passed down for over 50 years. I make a nice sauce that was passed down to me by my Zia Rosa. It’s a really good dish.”

What’s your favourite thing about Brantford?

“There is something big about Brantford. We are The Telephone City. If you’re from here, you’ve got love for Branford. We have a t-shirt that says “It’s a Brantford thing – Maria’s Original Pizza.” 

Are there any other small businesses in Brantford that you love to support?

“We love small businesses and are one ourselves. We love to support and often work with other local businesses including Brantford Apparel, Sammy’s Rec Room, The Print Centre, and Serenity Country Candles.” 

Tell us the story behind "the cup":

"At the pizzeria, we have something called "the famous cup" which belonged to my Zia Rosa. When my Zia Rosa was showing me how to make the sauce and meatballs, she had this cup that didn't have any measurements on it. It was just a stainless steel cup. When the fire happened, we lost everything - except for that cup. That cup is still with us, it survived the fire. We love that cup, and what it means. Our Zia Rosa passed away recently. She is an amazing, strong woman that loved nothing more than her family and cooking for them. We are going to miss her."

To learn more about Maria's Original Pizza, visit mariasoriginalpizza.ca or call 519-759-0346 to place an order.