Kaka‘ako’s Newest Pizza Spot Mad Pie Opens Sunday

From left: Ryan Ota, Latiff Johnson and James Orlando. Photo: Melissa Chang

Many people already know and love James Orlando, who has been tossing pizzas via his Fatto a Mano market pop-up for the last 10 years. He’s been a fixture at the Wednesday Blaisdell and Thursday Kailua farmers markets as well as other events around Oahu with his portable wood-fired oven, and on Sunday, he’ll be opening his first brick-and-mortar.

His team, Ryan Ota and Latiff Johnson, will be joining him at his new spot Mad Pie in the corridor behind Down to Earth at Keauhou Lane. And while you can enjoy his classic favorites like Pepperoni Playboy, Melrose Ave., Toby and Fungo pizzas, you’ll find some updates to his menu.

James Orlando putting a pie in the oven. Photo: Melissa Chang

First: Orlando has a state-of-the-art electric pizza oven now. It fits six pies at a time, all of which will be 18 inches. He’s been practicing for the last several months to make sure the change in oven doesn’t affect the flavor. Each pizza is launched into the oven with a metal peel instead of a wooden one.

Photo: Melissa Chang

Second: He now offers salads, which help round out the meal. The Caesar salad ($14) is tossed with a house dressing, shaved parmesan and crouton “dust,” which I love more than croutons because I can get the added texture and flavor without breaking my teeth. You can add chicken for $3.50. The Italian salad ($17) is a meal in itself, with radicchio, fresh mozzarella, cannellini beans, red onion, pepperoncini, salami, kalamata olives and creamy Italian vinaigrette. Both use greens from Ma‘o Organic Farms.

Third: You can now order ranch sauce (buttermilk, kim chee, or charred jalapeño lime) for dipping your crust in, or even a flight of all three ($2.50 each or $7 for the flight). Hot honey ($2) and additional pizza sauce ($2) are also available on the side. This is such an American thing, isn’t it? I find myself explaining why we do this to my Japanese friends, who marvel at all the extras we add. And they are here for all of it!

Fourth: He now has desserts. Pastry Chef Samantha Fannon makes all the sweets for Mad Pie. We tried her cookie of the week ($3.50), which is a pistachio chocolate chip cookie. Cookie connoisseurs will know that’s a very good price, especially when you see the size and amount of chocolate. (These are soft cookies, by the way.) Mad Pie also has fresh cannolis ($4 each or two for $7). I liked the special white peach cannoli, which is unique, but I’m a fan of the classic’s denser, creamier filling.

Photo: Melissa Chang

But back to the pizzas! Orlando offers a selection with red sauce, including the classic cheese, pepperoni (which features a special cup-style sausage that only a few people use in Hawai‘i), Margherita and a vegetarian/vegan pie called Melrose Ave., which is made with cashew cheese. And of course, there is a supreme pizza, which has just about everything on it. My favorite was the sausage (named after Abe Froman, the “king of sausage” from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), drizzled with hot honey.

Buffalo chicken ranch pizza. Photo: Melissa Chang

He also has four “not reds,” which means the base sauce is white or green. The buffalo chicken ranch and fungo (mushroom bechamel) are probably the most recognizable and popular. His pesto pizza topped with mozzarella, goat cheese, kale, cherry tomatoes and truffle balsamic will also be a top seller.

White Iverson pizza. Photo: Melissa Chang

But don’t sleep on the White Iverson, topped with fresh whole-milk mozzarella, ricotta, onion jam, sesame seeds and parsley. I meant to just take a bite and ended up taking four. The sweetness of the onion with the cheeses, then the crunch of the sesame was addictive.

Is it the topping or the crust that makes Mad Pie so good? You can see the toppings are creative, not to mention Orlando takes care to use fresh, local ingredients. But the crust definitely plays a part in his popularity all these years.

The naturally leavened sourdough is proofed, then refrigerated for about three days before used for baking. His pizzas are chewy and fluffy and make a distinctive crack when you slice them, but they’re soft enough to fold. Best of all—and this is my second measure of a good pizza—the slices are still delicious the next day when you pull them from the fridge for breakfast.

Pizzas range from $29 to $34; Mad Pie will slice a whole pie into eighths so you can share it easily. At lunchtime from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can get a single slice with a salad and soft drink with Caesar salad for $17 or with Italian salad for $19. These slices will be sixths for a larger, heartier portion.

If you’ve never met Orlando before, rest assured that he’s one of the most recognized pizzaiolos in town. Prior to going all in on Fatto a Mano, he was with Baker Dudes and Brick Fire Tavern. For me, his claim to fame will be hanging out with Malia Obama while working at Mud Hen Water and not knowing who her family was until President Barack Obama himself came to the back to say hello.

Open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., 500 Keawe St., Kaka‘ako, @madpie_hi

SEE ALSO: All Our Favorite Pizzas in Honolulu

Melissa Chang is a longtime contributor to Frolic Hawai‘i. @melissa808