Maria Maisano kept a proud Italian family tradition alive by opening Hungry Wolf's Pizza & Pasta at Belmont last week.
The family-owned-and-operated business now has four restaurants on the Central Coast, including a flagship Hungry Wolf's at Terrigal.
Maria's brother Alessio is in the process of opening a Hungry Wolf's at Adamstown.
"We are Calabrese, from a beautiful small village in southern Italy. My parents Dominic and Pina were both born there so the Italian tradition is extremely strong in our family," Maria told Food & Wine.
"My father has been working in pizza shops for 48 years, his first one at the age of 14. Hungry Wolf's opened 30 years ago in Terrigal. My father moved from Sydney to Terrigal after purchasing the business."
Dominic is in charge of the Hungry Wolf's menu, which prides itself on fresh ingredients, fresh pasta sauce and pizza bases made to order.
"We do not freeze then microwave. It's 100 per cent fresh from beginning to end," Maria explained.
"All the recipes are my Dad's, from Italy."
Maria started working for the family business at Terrigal at the age of 14, like her father before her, and says she "grew up there". She decided to open her own Hungry Wolf's at Belmont after moving to Newcastle with her partner and identifying what she believed to be a gap in the market.
"I was dying for a nice traditional Italian meal and realised Hungry Wolf's needed to come up here," she said.
Customer favourites to date include the Dom's Special pizza (cheese, tomato, mushrooms, onion, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, olives, garlic and chilli) and the fettuccine boscaiola. The traditional pizzas have a thin base and are heavy on toppings and cheese, as they should be. (Yes, Food & Wine ordered in the other evening.) The home-style pasta is fresh and simple - again, as it should be. The garlic bread was to die for.
Hungry Wolf's Belmont offers BYO dine in, take away or free home delivery (within a five-kilometre radius, and including Redhead).
"I can cater for 16 people dining in, although if we get a big enough following I have ideas to expand to outdoor eating," Maria said.
"My Dad will be here for a few weeks to help train our staff then I'll be on my own."
Well, not entirely on her own. Maria's fiance Brendan and his parents have been "very supportive", she says, and their (very cute) infant son Elio is likely to become a familiar face behind the counter.
"He will be working alongside me when needed," she said, laughing.
Hungry Wolf's is located at 507 Pacific Highway, Belmont. Keep an eye out for regular specials and deals on the Hungry Wolf's Belmont Instagram page.
