Mia's Pizza and Eats

Grilled Fingerling Potato Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:45:00 +0000

Farm fresh potatoes are such a delight; we created this grilled fingerling potato pizza using potatoes found at the farmer's market, home-grown rosemary, salt, pepper, olive oil, and Gruyere cheese. I love how the various colors of the potatoes delight the eye, and the flavor is unbelievably good. We have also made this pizza with diced pancetta which makes the pizza taste almost like a morning breakfast...in Italy.

Here's how to make it. First, boil your potatoes until they are just done. They should be firm, not too mushy. You want the potatoes to hold their shape. If you don't have fingerling potatoes, small new potatoes work well too. Cut the potatoes into thin slices. For the dough, we used dough from our restaurant, Mia's Pizza and Eats; you can of course make your own, buy from your grocer, or head to your favorite pizzeria and ask to buy a small dough ball. Drizzle the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, layer on the potatoes and the rosemary, add the pancetta (first fry it in a pan to crisp it), and top with shredded Gruyere; if you don't have Gruyere, a Swiss cheese or even a sharp cheddar would work well here too. Cook on a pizza stone on your grill for about four minutes; check the pizza often and give it a 3/4 turn each minute. You will love this combination!

Black and Bleu Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:18:00 +0000

Black and Bleu Pizza

pizza dough
olive oil
salt and pepper
thinly sliced steak, cooked rare
bleu cheese crumbles
fresh thyme
caramelized onions or fresh red onions
portabella mushrooms (optional)
fresh cilantro or parsley

The traditional Black and Bleu combination found in steakhouses just works, and it works like magic on pizza. When making the pizza, we used olive oil and salt and pepper as our base. Then we added rarely cooked flank steak that had been sliced thin. You can use any leftover steak you have; I highly suggest that it not be cooked well before using it on this dish because it can dry out quickly. Next we added the bleu cheese crumbles. We also add fresh thyme and red onions. We have also used caramelized red onions which add another level of flavor here, and I highly suggest taking the time to caramelize your onions (just saute in olive oil (don't skimp, use a fare amount) with salt and pepper until golden and brown (takes about 15 minutes) -- I also add a little brown sugar to quicken the process and develop the sweetness). We have also added portabella mushrooms to the pizza which only adds to the depth of flavors, but they aren't needed. I highly suggest that you finish the pizza by adding fresh cilantro or parsley to the pizza after it has cooked; this provides a note of freshness to the palate.

Pizza on the Grill, Simple Tweaks That Make a Difference

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Hot. Devil hot. Hell hot. Hotlanta. Hot, hot, hot. The cicada's electric song gives the heat its voice, enveloping the mind in waves of sound that only intensifies the heavy blanket of ninety-degree weather. We light the grill, as if hypnotized, controlled by some wild and carnal need to add to this fiery intensity. It is fitting that we begin our journey into grilling pizza on a day that feels like what it must feel like inside a wood-fired oven.

Grilling pizza is addictive: it's fun, it's flavorful, it's easy. The first thing to understand about grilling pizza is the heat. Your grill can get very hot, which is a good thing because pizza cooks best at high temperatures, but the heat can scorch the bottom of the pie before the top of the pie cooks through. There are things to do to regulate the heat. First, I think a good pizza stone is in order. There are lots on the market. We use an All Clad stone that we have owned for years; the important thing is that the stone is thick and able to withstand high temperatures; some stones can crack due to the heat, so it's important to use a good stone. When we cooked the pizza on the stone only, it scorched the bottom of the pizza very quickly, and the toppings were nowhere near done.

To create space between the pie and the heat, we used a flower pot base which helped enormously. The final thing we did to help regulate the heat was to wrap the inside of the grill lid in aluminum foil, and we added a smaller grill stone to the lid by attaching it with copper wire. The smaller stone was donated by a neighbor -- I am unsure of the brand, but it is thinner than our All Clad. It serves its purpose well, which is to bring heat above the pie as well as below. Once we modified the grill in this way, we were able to cook pies that came out perfectly each time.

It takes roughly 3-4 minutes to cook a pizza fully on the grill. Grilling enhances the flavor of the dough, which is why many of the pizzas we have grilled so far haven't been traditional ones with red sauce. Grilling pizza opens the imagination, and the pizza dough becomes the muse. I will do many posts about the various types of pizzas we have made on the grill. We hope to inspire you through pizza.

Carne Asada Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 23:28:00 +0000

I promised a second blog on holiday leftovers, and here it is, finally. I know it is way too late to use your Christmas leftovers, but this pizza is worth the wait.

For Christmas dinner this year, we served beef tenderloin. I am now a convert, no more turkey or ham for me. I think I shall always serve beef tenderloin from this Christmas forth. Delicious doesn't seem appropriate enough a word to describe it. Heaven-on-a-plate, maybe works. There must be a beautiful Italian or Spanish word that fits. Celestiale? Paradisíaco? The fact that there were any leftovers is only because I thought ahead and made more than the family could eat.

I have to give credit for this pizza to the manager of our favorite Mexican restaurant in Alpharetta, El Azteca. One night, over a year ago, on a rare date with my husband, Norma suggested that we try making a carne asada pizza at Mia's. I had imagined such a pizza for a while, so I figured what better way to use up that leftover beef tenderloin than to make a carne asada pie?

To begin with, I had to make a sauce. I didn't want to use a traditional red sauce, so I got out the food processor and threw in some onion, cilantro, and tomatoes. I also added some ground almonds to give it a little texture -- almost creating a cilantro pesto. With the addition of some salt and pepper, it turned out to be a great backdrop for the other ingredients. We used sliced red onions, beef tenderloin, freshly grated parm, and fresh cilantro as the toppings. When making pizza in your home oven, I suggest a 450 degree temperature, and if you can get your hands on one, use a pizza stone. Be sure to allow the pizza stone to preheat with your oven because it can't work its magic if it is cold. Bake your pizza until the dough is a nice, golden color and until the cheese is bubbly. This pizza was divine. Truly one of the best pizzas I have ever had.

Leftovers Are New Again

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 15:58:00 +0000

With the holidays comes that special type of inspiration in the kitchen: what to do with leftovers. The ritualistic creative endeavor of turning leftovers into a masterpiece is probably my favorite part of the holidays. I have even served an entire Christmas meal in leftover fashion, skipping the ceremonial pomp and circumstance of carving and serving a turkey and jumping right into the luscious fun of slapping turkey onto my favorite slab of crusty bread drizzled with Dijon mustard and topped with an aged Swiss cheese, crispy romaine lettuce, and juicy tomato slices. I am reminded of the scene in A Christmas Story when the neighbor's hounds devour the Parker family's feast, and Ralphie laments: "The heavenly aroma still hung in the house. But it was gone, all gone! No turkey! No turkey sandwiches! No turkey salad! No turkey gravy! Turkey Hash! Turkey A La King! Or gallons of turkey soup! Gone, ALL GONE!" I relate on the deepest personal level to that scene. I really couldn't imagine a holiday without leftovers. This year my muse has been pizza as I figure what to do with the huge slabs of meat cooked at holiday time. This post begins a two-part kitchen journal on my leftover pizza excursion.

For Thanksgiving, we made a Crock pot ham; it was just the three of us, a low key affair, and we made enough ham to have leftovers for days and days and days. The Crock pot ham recipe was simple: ham, ginger ale, and apricot jelly cooked on low for six hours. We made sandwiches, soups, and pastas with that ham, but one of the more memorable meals was a breakfast pizza that Matt, Mia and I made together. I love making breakfast pizzas so much, and I have for many years. I began waiting tables in a pizza restaurant when I was just 19. The pizza cooks introduced it to me then, and I have been addicted ever since. Eggs instead of red sauce -- that's the key difference.

Our pizza consisted of eggs, ham, caramelized onions, fresh thyme, red peppers, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and mashed potatoes (also leftover from Thanksgiving). To make a breakfast pizza, you lay out your dough just as you would any pizza; since this will be a very wet pizza to begin with, you must work very quickly, and you should have some type of flour or cornmeal underneath the dough to create friction when you slide into the oven (we use a pizza stone -- works wonders in the home oven). Create your egg base. Use 2-3 eggs that you have mixed with a whisk. Gently turn up the sides of the dough so that the egg will not fall off the edges. Pour the egg mixture over. Then top with your chosen toppings. Be quick about it so that the dough doesn't stick to the work surface. Once done, slide into a 450 degree oven and cook until done.

Cheryl Thrower Art Gallery on Display August 17th

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 01:16:00 +0000

I am so excited about our newest artist on display in our rotating art gallery. Cheryl Thrower is a former student of mine, and her talents are impressive. She is currently a student at SCAD majoring in animation, and she has been working all summer to create a new collection entitled "Momentum." Her work will be all originals, all distinctly Cheryl, and all wonderfully inventive and original. Her aesthetic is organic, playful, feminine, and romantic. You will be so impressed by this young artist, and I know you will want to purchase every one of her pieces. You can see her work beginning August 17th at 5pm.

Summer Bruschetta

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:42:00 +0000

The Katydid song plays in the background as I gently pluck ripe tomatoes from their vines. I surmise the damage the sun has reaped upon my tomato plants' delicate leaves and feel a pang of regret as I accept that summer is quickly passing and that it will be an entire year before I can grow tomatoes again. This momentary melancholy soon fades as I catch a whiff of that lovely liquorice, sweet smell of basil. My basil is booming, and my tomatoes are sweet and ripe. What better way to celebrate than to make bruschetta?

My recipe for bruschetta is simple, delicious, and satisfying. It is the perfect accompaniment to a fine crusty bread. I happen to have a rustic loaf of bread from Mia's Pizza. We make it from dough scraps that have risen for a while, and the result is this lovely, crusty, sourdough bread. We use it to make breadcrumbs, croutons, and garlic bread for catering events. It is my favorite of the two types of breads that we make, and its rustic nature will go perfectly with my summer harvest.

Bruschetta is a simple dish. Mine consists of fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, balsamic glaze, olive oil, salt, and pepper. To make, just chop your tomatoes (mine are small, so I cut in half only), chop the basil chiffonade style, press 1-2 cloves garlic in a garlic press (or mince finely), drizzle with balsamic glaze and olive oil (no more than 2 tablespoons each), and add salt and pepper to taste. I mix the ingredients lightly with a spoon and serve in a bowl. On the side, I include toasted bread which I have drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Roasted garlic also makes a great accompaniment, which is easy to make. Cut the tops off the whole garlic head and place in a baking dish. Drizzle the tops with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and throw a few sprigs of thyme on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 500 degrees for about 30 minutes. Once finished, you will have delicious, sweet cloves of caramelized garlic that spread over bread like butter.

This summer bruschetta dish was such a lovely, light dinner for my family. I also served some sauteed green beans on the side which were so delicious and easy. Simply add a little olive oil to a pan, throw in the green beans and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for a few minutes, and then remove from heat. The result is a lovely, crunchy green bean side dish, perfect for all occasions. This lovely dinner was my tribute to my summer harvest. Simple and divine. Enjoyed with my family. Nourishing and sweet.

Pizza Play Date

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:04:00 +0000

I have never been the type of person who eagerly makes new friends. I am someone who feels most comfortable with one or two very close friends, and I find it kind of hard to truly commit to the work it takes to add a new friend into my fold. All that changed when I became a mom. For the good of my child, I must make friends and plan play dates and be more social than I care to be, which I have found isn't so hard, and I like the connections I am making. This summer, I have been particularly active on the play date set, and I have made a few good friends in the process. When I host a play date at my house, I have a structured approach that allows lots of interaction for the kids, and also time for us moms to chat, drink coffee, and get to know each other. My play dates involve lots of play outside, some type of craft, and lunch or snack.

Recently I planned a pizza themed play date, and I thought it was particularly appropriate to write about it here. A good friend from work brought her two-year old daughter, and the girls played in the kiddie pool out front while said coworker and I caught up on our summer adventures. After a healthy amount of the outdoors, we brought the girls inside to make pita bread pizzas for lunch. I have been making pita bread pizza since I was in college. It is a go to meal that I almost always have the ingredients to make. It was the perfect nosh when I was pregnant and breastfeeding because it had all the good things my body needed to nourish Mia and me. Now I serve it to Mia on a regular basis, and the creation of it is something in which she can participate.

You begin with your favorite pita bread slice. I use a whole wheat version simply because it's healthier. Then you spoon out a desired amount of sauce (I use store bought spaghetti sauce). Next pile on your toppings. On this day we had red peppers, green olives, mushrooms, and chicken breast. Finally, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake on a cookie sheet in the oven (set at 350 degrees) until it is golden brown. These also do very well in a toaster oven.

While the pizzas baked, we had the girls create Paper Bag Pizzas. These are so simple, and they allow the kids to explore different types of artistic media. The supplies are basic: several paper bags that you have cut into large triangular pizza shapes, lots of pizza toppings cut from paper scraps, various small pom poms, and glue (I also use a sponge brush for the kids to paint the glue on to the paper). I prepared everything before the play date began so that it was ready to go, preventing too much down time. Paper Bag Pizzas are an inexpensive and fun craft that the girls really enjoyed.

Having a child has done many things to enhance my life, and I think the play date has taught me that making new friends is actually a fun experience. They also allow me to be creative with my child, which is always a plus.

A [pizza] is worth a 1000 words

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 03:25:00 +0000

This June heat has been so oppressive. I feel as if I am accomplishing very little, and that is perfectly fine with me. Mia and I just spend our days walking in the park, playing in the kiddie pool, digging in the sand box, watching Disney movies, and napping together. Today, we did make the drive up to the restaurant, and we enjoyed the cool breeze on the patio. Our lunch consisted of Greek Pasta salad and Greek spinach pie along with a cheese slice for Mia. I also created a Foursquare account today -- once we are verified, I will be sharing specials and deals there. So much social networking, so little time.

I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to [make pizza].

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:33:00 +0000

North Forsyth High School Literary Magazine Art Gallery

A former student of mine recently called me an "engine of art," and I would have to say that it was one of the best compliments I have received in a very long time. I am the literary magazine sponsor at North Forsyth High School, and I helped to begin the magazine along with a very small group of highly committed students -- all engines of art themselves. We are on our third year, and each year we try something new. This year, our new thing, which hopefully will become an annual thing, is an art gallery/open mike night to honor those students whose voices and imaginations are captured in our newest magazine, "Gradient." We will honor these students at Mia's Pizza. Almost every piece of art published in our magazine will hang on the walls of Mia's. On Monday, May 3rd, the writers and artists, along with their families, will come together for an hour of fellowship and celebration. I am so excited about this night. We will have a microphone, a speaker, and young writers sharing their words and thoughts. All art on display will also be on sale to help us raise the funds we need to maintain the publication. The NFHS Literary Magazine Art Gallery will hang until May 26 for all to see. What a wonderful way to pay tribute to these young students.

Keep on the lookout for future art galleries at Mia's. We plan to make it a regular thing. And if you are an artist interested in displaying your work with us, please contact me with your ideas and some work samples.

The life which [has no pizza] is not worth living.

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:50:00 +0000

The yellowy, pollinated haze of an April day furthers my spirit's intoxication as I watch Mia. I can watch her little fuzzy headed smiling self walk over and greet me in the mornings, or I can watch her hum a little tune with the sweetest voice I have ever heard. I can watch her dump out a bowl of bottle caps and then one-by-one plop them back into a cup, or I can watch her pick up rocks and tuck them safely away in her jacket pocket. It doesn't matter what she does; in her presence, I am in awe, I am happy, I am whole.

Time has slowed down for me these past few days, so I can focus on what is most important in life, and that is most definitely her. We have been working on a surprise art project to give Daddy as a gift to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the restaurant. We have also been reading lots of books about pizza -- we have many. We have even been making our own "pizzas" out of homemade play dough. Whatever we do, there seems to be pizza involved.

Homemade Play Dough Recipe

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tarter
2 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
food coloring of choice (I prefer the gel kind -- more vibrant)
Mix dry ingredients first. Add wet ingredients. You can make one large batch of the same color, or you can split the batch into four smaller batches and make a rainbow of colors.
Heat over low heat (I use a nonstick frying pan), stirring constantly for 2-4 minutes.
Knead well.
Store in an airtight container indefinitely.

Spring would not be spring without [pizza].

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:11:00 +0000

Spring break has come and Easter is almost here. The patio at Mia's is quite lovely these days, and there is a cool breeze that comes through as I sit and watch folks congregate at Bruster's. Mia meanders through the tables and chairs singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to herself, and I smile knowing that the patio is truly the only place to bring a toddler to eat. Her favorite foods right now are cheese sticks and spinach pie. I too love them, which is a good thing, because I usually end up eating the leftovers. Mia is going through that phase that drives mothers crazy -- she eats like a little bird, and I always find myself offering her just one more bite, just one more, just one last bite. Today I don't mind because I am off from school for ten days, and I can truly relax into my favorite job of being a mother. As I watch my little bitty run about and explore, I read a poem and know that all is right in the world on this patio at Mia's.

**************************************************************************

spring omnipotent goddess Thou
e.e. cummings

SPRING omnipotent goddess Thou
dost stuff parks
with overgrown pimply
chevaliers and gumchewing giggly

damosels Thou dost
persuade to serenade
his lady the musical tom-cat
Thou dost inveigle

into crossing sidewalks the
unwary june-bug and the frivolous
angleworm
Thou dost hang canary birds in parlour windows

Spring slattern of seasons
you have soggy legs
and a muddy petticoat
drowsy

is your hair your
eyes are sticky with
dream and you have a sloppy body from

being brought to bed of crocuses
when you sing in your whisky voice
the grass rises on the head of the earth
and all the trees are put on edge

spring
of the excellent jostle of
thy hips
and the superior

slobber of your breasts i
am so very fond that my
soul inside of me hollers
for thou comest

and your hands are the snow and thy
fingers are the rain
and your
feet O your feet

freakish
feet feet incorrigible

ragging the world

Eat every pizza as if it were your last.

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:26:00 +0000

The love of my life flies through the air, arms held at an angle, smile as big as the sky, feet running just to keep up with mine. She is an airplane. She is the biggest reason I exist. Her name is Mia, and she is an inspiration.

We have now been open for a year, well almost. April 8, 2009. The doors opened, and our lives changed. Pizza is no longer just a food to me, no longer dough and toppings. I am now a pizza know-it-all. Even though I live in Atlanta, I could go into any New York or Chicago pizzeria and have an opinion, weigh in on the debate, be an educated pizza voice. Until I became a partner in this pizzeria adventure, until pizza became a family member, I had no idea how extremely important pizza really is to people. So many customers know, deep down in their hearts, just what makes pizza good, and so many of those customers think Mia's is good pizza, and for that I am grateful.

We are happy to be here, happy to be a part of an American tradition that has so many supporters. We love making a quality product, and we are glad the Cumming community thinks Mia's is worthwhile. We continue to strive to make our restaurant the best, and we are truly proud of our work this year. Thanks to all who have been a part of it.

Part of the secret to success in life is to [eat pizza]

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:34:00 +0000

Since delving into this whole world of social networking, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the organic nature of technology. It has been said that computer technology is the forerunner to Armageddon, the unfolding of Revelations, the sign of the Devil, or, if you're a Trekkie, entre to the Borg. There's no secret fear of technological invasion -- science fiction drips with it -- and I think many see facebook as such an assault, but I am discovering that this new (at least to me) technology has a wavelike quality that is actually inspiring, and considering that it is maintained by a community of people, then it can’t be all bad. I suppose it’s like the old quote, “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” So I guess we could say that technology isn’t evil, but it’s the people who use it that are the predators. Facebook is a waterfall of ideas, many of them inspired ones that link us inextricably to each other, at least those who are given entrance into our rooms to look at our walls. Some people are afraid – privacy issues, identity theft, predatory danger. And it’s true. There is the chance that you can open your door too wide and let someone in on too much, but there is also the chance that you can open the door just enough to let people see a side of you that you don’t show face-to-face or that you need to show to more people than you would be able to do one at a time. The face of facebook is the face you choose to create and even explore. I know I am not the first person to come to understand these things, but it’s a new and exciting understanding for me. I continue to explore and respect the networking potential of blogspot, facebook, and twitter.

I know this philosophical jaunt into social networking has little to do with pizza, but marketing my restaurant is such an integral part of my day-to-day that now social networking is about pizza for me. Check out my facebook, and you will see -- it's all about pizza. And as an aside, I just put together a website; I am no artist when it comes to creating websites, and I merely used a template, but it’s an organized presentation of the restaurant, so please go and view it when you get a chance.

http://www.miaspizzaandeats.com/

Our life is frittered away by detail ... [eat pizza], [eat pizza]…

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:21:00 +0000

Wild strawberry vines, green and voracious with the summer sun, creep their way past a stack of stainless steel napkin holders that long before served their utilitarian purpose. Now they symbolize to me (and probably our neighbors) just how busy the Geiger family has been these last few months, for it isn’t just two, deteriorating cardboard boxes filled with unused napkin dispensers that line our driveway, but it is also three booths covered by a sturdy blue tarp, a hand sink (which now doubles as a birdbath and a curiosity to my one-year-old), and towers of paint cans, leftovers from the restaurant renovation, reminders of a phase of our lives now past.
Today was Matt’s day off, one of very few he gets to take these days, and we enjoyed it, lounging around until noon with Mia, then devoting three strong hours to cleaning and reorganizing the garage and driveway (Mia helped too, but mainly sunbathed in the blue, plastic kiddie pool I bought her at Babies R Us with one last remaining gift card given at a baby shower). It had to be done, not only because we were the disgrace of the neighborhood, but also because it is time to move on and to focus our efforts on the business of running the restaurant. There of course isn’t anything glamorous about owning a restaurant. Matt works twelve to fourteen hour days everyday of the week, and since we opened in April, he has taken only one other full day off. He’s a maniac, a committed, sweet, and wonderful one, but a maniac just the same. It’s amazing how freeing cleaning can be -- I suppose that’s why so many television shows are devoted to its powers. Spiritually, mentally, and physically one is lifted from certain burdensome thoughts and feelings when an area is cleaned. I suppose that’s why Thoreau didn’t like to have too much stuff around -- I guess it made it easier to suck the marrow out of life when there was less to clean.

Today, in our own way, we simplified things.

A Life Without [Pizza] Is Like a Life Without Summer

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Spent the day taking pictures of guitars, connecting with musicians on reverb nation, and working on the Savvy Shopper ad. Lots of pictures to show you today. Missing Mia and hoping to get out of here soon. The other day I was searching for pizza art online, and she saw all the pictures of pizzas and said, "Da-dee." She is too smart.

Mia's Bread and Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Today our neighbor Diana is watching Mia for me so that I can come and work on marketing. I joined facebook, which has been a goal for a while, and I have been uploading pics to the site. I came to the restaurant, and Betsy had made some Mia's bread -- she creates it from scraps of dough that she saves throughout the day. It is so lovely. She made me a chicken salad sandwich on the fresh bread, and I loved it.

Mia's Menu

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:15:00 +0000

Double click a menu image to enlarge it!

Here is the menu -- finally online. Just click on each image, and you will be able to read it more clearly. Thanks to everyone for supporting us. We love our customers!

Summertime at Mia's

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:53:00 +0000

It's summertime and I am free to focus all of my efforts on marketing the restaurant. First thing I want to do is get a website up and running so that people can have access to the menu. Since I am still in the research process, I will focus on this blog and becoming a part of Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. I am also learning a lot more about the Bluegrass community in the area because we really want some people to come and jam on Tuesday nights. The Haynes family came out to support us when we first began the Bluegrass night back at the beginning of May, but no one has come since. I stopped by Sawnee Mountain Music and talked to Francis yesterday -- she is such a wonderful woman full of insight about how Matt and I can get folks to come and play. Matt and I are also discussing getting together a catering menu -- for birthday parties and for office functions. The focus right now is getting the name "Mia's" into the community.

Bluegrass Tuesdays at Mia's

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:45:00 +0000

We want to announce the beginning of a weekly tradition at Mia's: Bluegrass Tuesdays. Just come out and jam on Tuesdays from 7:oo to 9:00. We really want to become a haven for bluegrass and blues musicians and fans. We've got Sweetwater 420 on tap and Sweetwater IPA in bottles; there's a great wine list and additional beers too.

Our Journey Begins

noreply@blogger.com (clrose) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:26:00 +0000

Matt and I started this Mia’s Pizza and Eats journey back before our wedding in October of 2008. Matt had been searching for the right place to begin another pizza place for almost three years, and we found it in Cumming, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta in North Georgia, about 20 miles from Dahlonega. The place was a dump; the minute we walked in, we smelled the dusty remnants of past pizzas coming from the stained industrial carpet, and the walls in the kitchen were covered in slime, grease, and ash. The paint job in the dining area and bathrooms was horrendous, including a black ceiling and black trim.

The lease negotiations began in October, and they weren’t finalized until December. Just watching Matt go through the process was inspiring. He is completely adept at getting what he wants, and he isn’t afraid to walk away if he doesn’t get it. We got the keys December 30. He had 90 days to get the space ready, and he worked tirelessly to do so.

We opened the doors on April 8, 2009, and it was a soft open -- no advertising, no big announcement -- we just opened the doors, put out some balloons, and hoped for the best. It was spring break for most in the area, so many people were out of town. Lots of friends and family came in that first week to support us, to celebrate with us, and to offer their best. Since then, we have built up our clientele, and we keep getting busier and busier. Some have said that we have “the best pizza in town,” and that makes Matt proud to hear.