Pizza made with a mother’s love is the ultimate comfort food
PIZZAZZ Sandy Arellano De Leon, the proponent of Sandy's Pizza, photo by April Arevalo
They say nothing compares to a mom’s cooking. Imagine what a pizza, one of the most popular and well-loved comfort food in the world, would taste like baked by a mother?
Sandy’s Pizza, a famous casual dining restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan, offers the Italian savory dish baked with love in a brick oven. Established by mompreneur Sandy Arellano De Leon, sister of actor Gabby Concepcion, the brand specializes in mouth watering pizza pies that are always fresh and take on unique Filipino fusion flavors.
Sandy has had a long and lasting relationship with pizza since she was young. “I’ve always loved pizza, although as a student in the ’90s I could not afford it so often. After college, I lived in New York for a while and discovered a new love for it. I was looking for pizza in the Philippines that compared to a ‘New York pizza,’” she intimates, adding, “I used to make pizzas for friends and family only. They encouraged me to open up a pizzeria, and the rest is history.”
HALF AND HALF Tuyo con queso blanca marries two flavors into one pie and is a favorite among Sandy's patrons
SAY CHEESE! The Four Cheese (White pizza) is one of Sandy's bestsellers
Her pizzas have a medium to thin crust that is crunchy on the outside but chewy on the inside. “When I came back , it took me a few years of experimenting before I came up with a crust comparable to the one’s I had in New York,” Sandy continues. The dough is made daily thus achieving its freshness. Meanwhile, the sauces are homemade to ensure quality. Everything is local sourced too. “We support our local suppliers who give us only the best of what they can offer,” she explains.
Furthermore, Sandy’s pizza has no preservatives. It is made with less oil. What makes the pies authentic, however, is the way it is cooked. “We bake our pizza in a brick oven in very high temperature to achieve that rustic flavor and look that Sandy’s Pizza is known for,” says the businesswoman.
In 2013, Sandy’s Pizza closed as Sandy had to personally take care of another family business, which needed her full attention. “I remember telling myself that one day I would reopen Sandy’s Pizza but I didn’t expect to do it under the circumstances we are in today,” she muses. “During the summer lockdown, my children and my nieces were thinking of ways to be more productive. They met online and planned how to relaunch Sandy’s Pizza and tie it up with our existing cloud kitchen, Big Bang Foodie. The moment Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was lifted in Manila, the kids hit the ground running.”
THE HEALTHIEST SLICE Big Bang Foodie's Caesar salad
GREEN IS GOOD Kani salad with extra dressing
With limited resources due to the pandemic, the reestablished pizzeria has narrowed its selections to Pepperoni, Classic Mozarella, Gourmet Tuyo, and All Bacon. Current bestsellers are the all time favorite Four Cheese (white pizza), Black Truffle made with truffle cream sauce, three cheeses, and shiitake mushrooms, and the Tuyo con queso blanca, which is half Four Cheese, half Gourmet Tuyo pizza.
Since Sandy’s Pizza is now tied up with Big Bang Foodie, it now also serves fresh salads and wraps. All dressings from Big Bang Foodie are also homemade recipes. The must-trys for the healthy menu are the Mandarin Oriental salad, Korean Bulgogi wraps, and the Mediterranean Greek Salad.
HEALTHY DELICIOUS Sandy’s roasted garlic, broccoli, and mushroom pizza, called the Very Veggie
BAKE AWAY The healthy weekend special being cooked in the establishment's new brick oven
Sandy acknowledges the fact that the country is in recession, and braves through the trying times with a positive mindset. “Generally, sales are steady but I am sure that we are all eventually going to recover. The most important thing is your ‘stay ability’ by keeping your operating expenses and cost of goods at its lowest,” she says, giving tips to those currently in or would like to venture in business amid the health crisis. “My best advice to other small online businesses would be to always be ready for an order because the ‘new norm’ in the world of online deliveries is fast paced. We need to be present in the popular digital platforms for visibility.”
To order one may send a direct message on Instagram @sandy.pizza and Facebook page sandyspizza2020. Deliver is available via Grab, lalamove and Mr. Speedy. They are also present on Foodpanda and grabfood under Big Bang Foodie.