- November 21, 2024
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Mario Recupido strikes a victory pose after cutting the ribbon. Photo by Alexis Miller
A pepperoni pizza made by Mario Recupido. Photo by Alexis Miller
Alexis Tourangeau mixes pasta. Photo by Alexis Miller
Chocolate chip cannolis, made from scratch. Photo by Alexis Miller
Mario Recupido cuts the ribbon. Photo by Alexis Miller
Homemade garlic bread. Photo by Alexis Miller
Alexis Long, SueAnn Street, Cara Recupido and Mario Recupido replicate the Charlie's Angels pose. Photo by Alexis Miller
The ribbon cutting at Super Mario’s Pizza. Photo by Alexis Miller
The Recupido family has dreamed of owning an authentic Italian pizzeria for years. Now, they have one: On July 26, the Recupidos cut the ribbon on Super Mario’s Pizza in Ormond Beach.
Mario Recipudo is a car salesman and one of the owners of Little Italy’s Ristorante in Daytona Beach, but he has long wanted his own restaurant.
One evening, he was doing paperwork for a car sale when the buyer said he was looking to sell his pizzeria.
“The price was too good to pass up,” Recupido said.
The Recipudos want Mario's to replicate the authenticity of homecooked Italian food.
“If you come to my house and have dinner, it’s going to taste exactly the same as if I cooked it here,” Recupido said.
Cooking meant a lot to his mother, Alexis Tourangeau, and was a big part of Mario's life growing up, he said.
“This is my mom’s dream also, to get involved in the restaurant business,” Recupido said. “She makes all the product: the homemade meatballs, all the sauces — everything is made from scratch except for the pasta.”
The new pizzeria at 376 W. Granada Blvd. offers more than just pizza, including pastas, chicken and eggplant parmesans, wings, strombolis and desserts.
“I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel inside to see people enjoying the food I make for them,” Tourangeau said. “I cook from the heart, just like he [Mario Recupido] does; my mother taught us that.”
The name “Super Mario” doesn't just reference the video game character: Recupido had been called "Super Mario" for years by his older brother, who has since died.
The restaurant's online reviews are positive, and its fan base is growing weekly.
“Truth, get that sauce jarred, it’s that good,” Kathy Aase on Facebook said.
The family hopes to expand Super Mario's Pizza across Florida and eventually franchise out.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story listed an incorrect last name for Mario Recupido's mother. Her name is Alexis Tourangeau. Additionally, it was Mario Recupido's older brother, not his younger brother, who called him "Super Mario."
