4 minute read
In the Kitchen with Manco and Manco
Nick Matousch learns how to toss with Bob Kearn, a pizzaiolo at Manco & Manco
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A PASTIME of Ocean City is window shopping on the Boardwalk. No matter the season, the stretch of storefronts the Boardwalk is famous for are usually open to stroll into. People can gaze at all sorts of Ocean City commodities for their viewing pleasure, from tee shirts to the rides. But one storefront where you will get an actual show is Manco & Manco Pizza on 9th Street. With an open kitchen in view of Boardwalk goers and
dine-in patrons alike, the employees make the pizza in a fantastic display. The kneading, tossing and saucing is done just behind the dining counter giving the customer an experience with their food. “Our customers like to watch the show we put on – hand tossing the dough, throwing it in the air,” says Chuck Bangle, one of the three coowners of the company. Chuck, his wife Mary and her mother Kay Manco, who, with husband Frank, founded the pizzeria in 1956, are all about
encouraging customers to enjoy the experience with their staff. “They are here to have a good time. Having open air stores is like inviting people into our kitchen,” said Chuck. In spite of the pizza being made in plain sight, some things are kept under wraps – such as their secret recipe. And though it looks easy, tossing a pie the Manco way is harder than it looks. The pizzaioli (what they call their pizza makers) make it look effortless, but that only comes from their decades of experience.
