Mark Bello

Mark Bello, chef/founder of Pizza a Casa, is a tour-de-force of creativity and energy, sharing his knowledge and love of pizza with unpretentious ease. Born in NYC and raised on the famous thin crust pizzas indigenous to his NY and NJ upbringing, his passion for pizza was put to the test while he worked his way up to an MFA in Sculpture from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Far from home and in a land of deep-dish and dismal fast-food pizzas, he vowed to feed his need for the pizzas of his youth, so he took to the kitchen and mastered a recipe for perfect pizza in the home oven. After a decade of refining, including a period of living, eating and cooking in Italy, Mark returned in 2005 to his East Coast roots and founded Pizza a Casa artisanal pizza catering and cooking class company. Then in 2010 the Pizza a Casa: Pizza Self-Sufficiency Center was born, establishing a headquarters to educate and equip pizza lovers with the knowledge and tools necessary to make fantastic thin crust pizzas at home.

Mark’s pizzas have been praised in publications including Gothamist, Time Out New York, Food & Wine, Tasting Table, The NY Daily News and were a sold-out hit at his demonstration and tasting at the James Beard House. Mark is also anadvocate for community and charity activities and has taught classes for Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Children’s Aid Society, The Grand Street Settlement, The Sylvia Center and Chefs for Humanity.