I lead a double life as a food writer and an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, so I’m always on the lookout for Deaf-owned restaurants wherever I travel.
I have found them in Paris, Tokyo, and Taipei, but there’s no need to board a plane when there is a terrific Deaf-owned and -run food truck regularly pitching pizza pies all over the Bay Area.
It’s called Mozzeria. If that name sounds familiar, it’s probably thanks to the renowned Deaf-owned restaurant of the same name that was on 16th Street in the Mission from 2011 until 2020, when it fell victim to the pandemic. Luckily there was always a Mozzeria food truck (actually, two) to carry on the tradition, with delectable wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and an all-Deaf workforce.
Wood-fired, Neapolitan-style margherita pizza from Mozzeria(Dyan Sue)
With the crew ensconced inside the massive truck, however, patrons may only discover its singularity when they order. If you approach the window and start speaking as usual, you will probably see a gloved hand emerge as one of the Deaf workers points to the large menu poster directing customers to fingerspell their orders to the staff.
Each dish on the menu has a corresponding drawing of a fingerspelled letter: an “A” with four fingers bent down for arugula salad, a “B” for marinara pizza, a “C” for margarita, and so on. After ordering and paying, you’re handed a card with a different letter handshape and instructions to watch for it to be waved from the window when your order is ready.
With no clue other than the note on the large menu, many customers are surprised when their usual way of ordering doesn’t work. That’s what happened to Rachel White, who came to Temescal Brewing in Oakland one recent night after work. While standing in line chatting with friends, she didn’t pay attention to the sign explaining that the employees of this truck are Deaf and started speaking as usual.
“I was startled,” she says, “and felt guilty when I saw the hand emerge from the window and point to the instructions. But I think it’s really cool that they have this, and I alerted my friends that they have to spell their order.”
Deaf workers at Mozzeria sign when your order is ready.(Anna Mindess)
On a recent Sunday afternoon, at the Presidio Pop Up, where Mozzeria joins the weekly lineup of a dozen food trucks, some customers got more creative. Josh Silverman was there with his five-year-old daughter, Maxine. When she requested a pizza without cheese, he suddenly remembered the ASL sign for cheese from his long-ago baby sign class, then improvised a big “no” motion that resembled an umpire’s “safe” call.
It only takes 90 seconds in the wood-fired oven to bake pizzas to lightly charred perfection, but, depending on the length of the line, it may take several minutes for an order to be ready. If customers are distracted and don’t see the hand making their letter—a “V,” for example, that tells them that their order is ready—the Deaf worker will write the letter on a whiteboard and wave it vigorously out of the window to attract their attention. The whiteboard can also be used for more detailed instructions or questions.
But general manager Amanda Mosher first tries to employ some universal gestures that she thinks most people can understand, such as miming cutting the pie into the number of slices desired or flapping her hand in front of her open mouth, with eyes wide, to signify “spicy.” Fingerspelled letters are only a small part of ASL (and many of the world’s other sign languages), and play a very small part compared to signs made with corresponding facial and body grammar.
Mozzeria's general manager, Amanda Mosher(Anna Mindess)
Mozzeria’s menu varies by the site, but always has vegan, vegetarian, and meat options, and usually includes an arugula salad and pizza choices such as marinara, margherita, quattro formaggi, shiitake mushroom, salumi, and Italian sausage. They also offer a gluten-free pizza crust, which is amazingly puffy and delicious.
Mosher, who started working at the restaurant Mozzeria back in 2013, has noticed that in recent years that mainstream movies such as the Oscar-winning CODA or the Netflix show Waffles and Mochi, which filmed a segment at the old Mozzeria restaurant, have increased general awareness about Deaf people.
The restaurant’s closure was heartbreaking, not just for fans of their pizza and Deaf regulars who found a comfortable spot with good lighting and waiters who could always explain the day’s special in their language, but for Deaf staff. It’s often challenging for would-be workers in the food industry who are Deaf to find a job, especially in fast-paced kitchens where hearing owners don’t want to take the chance.
“Since Deaf people often have a hard time finding work in the ‘hearing world,’ we can give them skills and work experience that they can put on their resume when they go out and look for future employment,” says Mosher. “But,” she adds, “it’s interesting that we have very low turnover among our 14 staff members, which is different from food service in general. I think this is because Deaf people really cherish working together in an environment where everyone signs.” Their team even includes one CODA (child of Deaf Adult) who signs fluently and refrains from using her voice at work.
Mozzeria has two food trucks cruising around the Bay Area.(Courtesy of Truckster)
For customers interested in learning more about ASL and Deaf culture, interactions at a food truck are, unfortunately, quick: place your order, wait till it’s ready, pick up your food, and leave. Mosher is hoping that Mozzeria, which is now owned and managed by Communication Services for the Deaf, will open another sit-down restaurant in the Bay Area for a more relaxed environment and chances for real encounters between Deaf staff and hearing customers. Patrons often ask how to sign “thank you” at the food truck, but Mosher’s looking forward to once again having longer and deeper connections in a brick-and-mortar space.
“We are hoping to find another location and look forward to getting all our old customers back,” she says.
Meanwhile, you can spot the big black truck (or the one that resembles a wooden trolley) at many popular events. Mozzeria’s slung pizzas at Outside Lands for the past 10 years, as well as at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and other special events including marathons, Escape from Alcatraz, and the Red Bull Showrun. They regularly appear at food truck venues such as Off the Grid, Foodie Crew, and Taste of the World. For more information on where Mozzeria will be next, check the calendar on their website.
// Find Mozzeria at various locations in SF and the Bay Area, mozzeria.com
