Today we’d like to introduce you to Jared Neiswender.
Hi Jared, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I worked in my first restaurant when I was 14, in 1995, as a busboy. I continued working in restaurants throughout high school and college. After graduating from the University of Utah in 2007 with a film degree, I temporarily worked in other fields for various production studios and TV stations. I never completely found this satisfying and eventually made my way back into the food industry.
Over the years I have performed every task in the business from Dishwasher to Head Chef, Bus Boy to General Manager. The only position I had never been as owner. My wife and I secured start-up capital from friends and family in 2018 and MOZZ was born with a plan to compliment and nudge the burgeoning food scene in Provo. It was our goal to realize something from scratch and use local ingredients. We developed recipes, along with our friend, partner, and chef Brett, to challenge ourselves and utilize traditional baking methods. Through this, we were able to form a relationship with a local farmer to procure milk to make our own mozzarella.
As of 2022, we have stretched over 30,000 pounds of mozzarella by hand for our menu. We also pushed ourselves to develop a dough recipe that does not use commercial yeast. We are using natural leavening techniques with an 18-year-old Levain in order to achieve a true sourdough crust. This process takes 3 days to fully realize and cannot be rushed. We think that our customers have come to appreciate and understand the difference that our attention to detail has on our final product and we are pleased to be a part of this community creating delicious meals for everyone. So much so, that we were able to open our second location in Salt Lake City in July of 2022. Cheers to your friends!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Covid shut down the world on our 1 year anniversary, and we have been in recovery mode ever since. We are grateful to have come out the other side with our health and business intact.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As mentioned in the first portion, we are known for doing things traditionally and sometimes painstakingly. We know the end result is always worth it. MOZZ is a pizzeria in downtown Provo. We serve an eclectic menu with some familiar items in order to please everyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: mozzartisanpizza.com
- Instagram: mozz.pizza
