Mad Pie Brings NYC Slice Shop to Kakaʻako

From Markets to Storefront

Before Mad Pie, there was Fatto a Mano. For roughly ten years, owner James Orlando baked pizza from a portable wood-fired oven at the Wednesday Blaisdell and Thursday Kailua farmers markets, along with events around Oʻahu. Mad Pie is his first brick-and-mortar location.

His résumé runs deep in Honolulu kitchens, including time with Baker Dudes and Brick Fire Tavern. He is joined at Mad Pie by Ryan Ota and Latiff Johnson, and pastry chef Samantha Fannon prepares the desserts.

Orlando describes the new shop as the next evolution of that work, not a replacement. Fatto a Mano is on hiatus, and he has said it may return as a storefront of its own. For now, Mad Pie is what he calls a "friendly neighborhood pizza shop."

Dough is the Star

Every pie begins with naturally leavened sourdough. Orlando keeps a starter that is about ten years old, and the dough ferments for several days before baking. He credits the method with the character and flavor of the crust.

The result is a crust that is chewy and airy, crisp enough to crackle when cut, yet soft enough to fold. One reviewer noted that the slices hold up well the following day.

The move indoors also brought a change in equipment. The market pies came from wood fire. The shop uses a modern electric oven, and Orlando spent months adjusting his process so the flavor would carry over.

On the Menu

The red-sauce pies include a classic cheese, a Margherita, a supreme, and a pepperoni made with a cupping-style sausage that is uncommon in Hawaiʻi. The Melrose Ave. is a vegan option built on cashew cheese.

The "not reds" use white or green bases. The Fungo, a mushroom béchamel pie, is among the most recommended. The White Iverson pairs whole-milk mozzarella and ricotta with onion jam and sesame.

Beyond pizza, the shop offers salads made with greens from MAʻO Organic Farms, house ranch sauces for the crust, cannoli, and a rotating cookie of the week.

Pizza is available by the slice or as a whole pie, and whole pies are cut into eighths for easy sharing.

Visit Mad Pie

Sources

Honolulu Magazine · Aloha State Daily · Hawaii News Now · Mad Pie on Instagram