What was your relationship with pizza when you were a kid?

Mary Ann: I always loved it! As a child, I remember it mostly from lunches at a neighborhood bakery that was around the corner from my grammar school. We were allowed to go out for lunch in those days and we would go to the local bakery for their version of pizza. It was served up in a dark black pan and sort of like a focaccia for 25¢ a slice.

Brooklyn has such a long and rich pizza history. What makes Brooklyn pizza so special to you personally?

Mary Ann: I guess because we grew up here. We would eat pizza every Friday night since every other night my grandmother (who lived with us) cooked. Friday night was a treat. There were a few pizzerias within about 5 to 10 city blocks from us.

What are some things you look for when sourcing new ingredients for your pizza?

Mary Ann: We like to work with as many local vendors as possible thereby supporting their small businesses. We always tried to work with people just starting out as we know how hard it is to run a food business in NYC, i.e. MIke’s Hot Honey, Ovenly, Numu Cheese, Brooklyn Whiskers, VanLeeuwen Ice Cream, Splendid Spoon, Gotham Greens, Eagle Street Rooftop Farms, and most recently, Edith’s Bagels; just to name a few.

Paulie Gee’s has experienced a lot of growth over the past few years, expanding out of Brooklyn and into Chicago, Columbus, Baltimore, and New Orleans. What have you learned from entering these different communities?

Mary Ann: We have definitely learned that New York has so many excellent pizzerias and with a huge range of styles these days, as opposed to when we were kids; back then it was just the NY slice. When we first opened our Brooklyn locations, we wanted our pies to reflect the local scene and now that we’ve opened our other shops, we give a lot of room for them to be creative and make pies that fit with their local flavors and ethnic backgrounds. The bottom line is it is all about building community through food and I think we have accomplished that in all the places we have landed.

We know that for you, pizza, family, and community are inextricably linked. What are some of the community projects that you’ve been involved in that have helped shape this perspective for you?

Mary Ann: Obviously, Slice Out Hunger! We’ve also done a lot of work with Food Bank of NYC and Paulie was actually asked to be a member of their Culinary Council. A few others have been Food for Brooklyn (a local food pantry started during the pandemic for struggling families without work), North Brooklyn Angels (a mobile soup kitchen serving meals for those in need a few times a week), NBK Mutual Aid (we provided pies for our homeless neighbors living in a temporary shelter), Ronald McDonald House (NYC) - we’ve sent many pies for children and their families. Also during the pandemic, provided pies (some with sponsorship from friends and family) to numerous Hospitals/healthcare workers in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.

What would you like to see from Slice Out Hunger in the future?

Mary Ann: To continue the great work you have started. Those of us in the industry, need to support an organization such as yours as much as possible. After all, we are in the food business and that is how we make our living. It is very simple; everyone needs to pay it forward.