In an unassuming, white building off of Highway 5 in Utica, Chris and Angela Woodbeck are bringing their award winning pizza back that has suffered in their absence. After two years of recovering from the arson that shut down their New Hartford store, Mangia Macrina, serving wood-fired, Neapolitan style pizza to Central New York has made a return.
In December of 2022, Chris rushed to his restaurant after getting a call around midnight that the building was on fire. When he arrived, police informed him that it had been arson, part of a string of fires in the area. He had to watch the “gut-wrenching” sight of the firemen “ripping apart [his] building” as it burned. Shortly after, he filmed a video for his loyal customers announcing what had happened, and warning that it “looks like we’re going to be closed for a little bit.”
That little bit would turn out to be two long years, during which Chris and Angela would struggle with the building codes department, their landlord and the loss of their restaurant and income. Their customer base and many in the surrounding area rallied behind the couple, contributing to a GoFundMe to help support the pair and patroning their food truck as it travelled around central New York. Two years later, the reopening of Mangia Macrina symbolizes Chris and Angela’s hard fought battle to restore their beloved restaurant and the burgeoning of a new era in their culinary carees.
The new restaurant is a larger space with an outdoor patio bar and ample parking, a feature especially appealing to customers who remember the struggle of finding parking at the couple’s previous location. A light blue tiled pizza oven sits at the heart of the restaurant with chefs shoveling pizzas out of its flaming mouth every few minutes. As a Neapolitan-style pizzeria, the pizzas offer a soft, thin dough with fluffy edges. Pizza chefs fire pizzas in the oven at high heat for a very short amount of time, topping them with fresh, quality ingredients. Chris first tried this style of pizza in Minnesota, where his father in law spent four years trying to convince him to try the chain Punch Pizza. Once he did, he realized that central New York was in dire need of a Neapolitan pizza spot. In 2012, he started with a food truck, and after building a loyal customer base, opened up a restaurant in November of 2016.
The highlight of any Neapolitan pizza is the dough: a light, thin crust with a fluffy texture and air bubbles. At Mangia, the crust is everything you could dream of. The base of the pizza is thin, while still cradling the sauce and toppings all while avoiding sogginess. However, each slice should be eaten as quickly as possible. In waiting too long the cheese will become cold and the dough will soak up too much liquid. When it is fresh, the cheese is slightly gooey, the crust steams in your mouth and the char on the base of the pie ties it all together. Chris perfected his dough recipe for four years before opening the food truck. He would throw pizza parties, with his friends and families bringing the topping while he workshopped his crusts. He gathered inspiration through YouTube, watching videos of chefs from around the world, some of whom he is now friends with. His love for the style and pizza in general shines through in the care he puts into each pie, which can be tasted in every bite.
The menu has extensive topping options, with 13 red pizzas and 12 white pizzas, not to mention the vegan options and daily specials. The Rocket, one of the specialty pizzas, is a classic and balanced pie. The sauce, with its tart and bright notes, is the base to peppery arugula, salty prosciutto, and sweet balsamic glaze. Each bite has a blend of the flavors, and the pie is quickly devoured by one or two people. Make sure to check out the specials, featured on a little whiteboard by the register. This is the spot for hidden gems, where you can see how Chris plays around with flavors. He gets inspiration from travelling around and from the community of pizza makers he has found through the internet. The Spinagee, a white pie with garlic, spinach and a cheese blend, is directly inspired by Paulie Gee of Brooklyn. A recent special, inspired by the flavors of Korean BBQ, came from Chris’ visit to his friend chef Anna Kim, a James Beard award winner who can be seen on Chef’s Table. The most recent special, the Twisted Romano, has peppadew peppers, broken burrata and a spicy cherry pepper honey. The cold burrata, strewn across the steaming margarita pie, melts into the sauce and your mouth. Every pie has high-quality ingredients, balanced flavors, and a charred bubbly crust.
Mangia Macrina is a must-try in the central New York area. Their new space is a welcome addition to the community that has sorely missed their Neapolitan, wood-fired pizza.
The space has been filling up, especially on the weekends, and Chris described it as “the calm before the storm,” since he predicts summer will be busy. They plan on expanding the late-night hours with the food truck and opening up the patio and bar. After many trials with their business, this new chapter for Chris and Angela is an exciting one. Check out Mangia Macrina to support the beloved pizza place and try their fresh-out-of-the-oven pies.
