The walk-in order counter, claimed for more than two decades by Benny Blanco’s before the pizza joint left Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, wasn’t vacant for long.
Jonathan Mora, a New York-via-Florida transplant from a family of pizza makers, moved into the narrow kitchen on 616 E. 13th Ave. in December. His two concepts, Tua Mama’s Pizzeria and the vegan Mora New York Pizza, are open for lunch and dinner rushes.
Mora’s recipes are completely removed from what Benny Blanco’s served before leaving for Arvada last summer. A 20-inch cheese pie from Tua Mama’s is $25; signature caprese, bianca, spicy sausage and chicken parmesan pizzas are $28. The menu also has 12-inch subs (all $15), pastas (all $15 except the $20 lasagna), a build-your-own calzone ($15) and doughy appetizers such as garlic knots ($5) and mozzarella sticks ($8.99).
The menu options for Mora New York Pizza are all vegan, including a 20-inch vegan pie for $30 and vegan subs, calzones and appetizers. Mora also sells pizza by the slice for $4 or $5 with a topping.
The vegan enterprise is what first drew Mora to Denver. He would distribute about 200 pizzas a week to the city, packed in dry ice and shipped from the East Coast, he said.
Mora ditched the shipping business and started his own pizza enterprise in the city, first through a food truck and later inside of Rico’s Pizzeria & Italian Kitchen in Englewood. Then he began eyeing the Benny Blanco’s spot last August.
But he wasn’t the only one. James Bedwell, who was running the music venue Your Mom’s House next door, had secured the lease while searching for a partner. The two are now co-owners of Tua Mama’s.
A dual concept, Mora said, allows him to afford rent, utilities and the high prices for vegan ingredients. “It’s a lot easier to be operable,” he said.
The physical space and its decorative charm looks relatively unchanged inside. The same stickers cover the door and the vent system above the pizza ovens. The public entrance is little more than the order counter, two stools and a coin-operated claw machine.
Mora and Bedwell said they’re working on selling bottled and canned beer behind the counter. Mora said he plans to return to Florida in the summer and travel back and forth to Denver.