Inspire / COMMUNITY
50 SEPTEMBER 2019 WOMANSDAYMAGAZINE
R
egulars at the
San Francisco
Neapolitan
pizzeria
Mozzeria know
that the best way to order the
restaurant’s famous wood-fired
pie is by signing for it in American
Sign Language.
That’s because everyone who
works there is deaf.
Opened in 2011 by Melody and
Russ Stein, Mozzeria is the city’s
first Deaf-owned and -operated
restaurant. Although most of
its customers are hearing, the
restaurant has also become a
gathering place for the Deaf
community. “I understand how
Deaf people feel about not having
access,” says Melody, who was born
in Hong Kong without the ability
to hear. “I wanted our restaurant
to be the place where everyone
is welcome and feels comfortable.”
As the descendant of a long
line of restaurateurs, Melody
knew she would open a place of
her own one day. As she and her
husband considered ways to fuse
her Chinese roots with his love
of Italian food, they landed on the
idea for Mozzeria, a classic pizzeria
that uses Asian foods and flavors,
like Peking duck, in its dishes.
But the journey to their grand
opening as Deaf restaurateurswasn’t easy. Banks told them
restaurants were “high risk”
and turned them down for a
small-business loan. Government
agencies and vendors weren’t
equipped to communicate with
the Steins, and a hearing person
in line would get information
quickly while they would have to
make another appointment and
come back.
“I spent more time explaining
how to work w ith me than asking
for what I needed,” Melody says.
After seeing firsthand how
difficult it was for people with
disabilities to start a business,
Melody and Russ, who is also deaf,
decided to pave the way for other
Deaf professionals. The couple
commissioned an all-Deaf team to
design, build, and decorate theirA Slice
of Life
Melody Stein erases
stigma surrounding
the Deaf community,
one pizza at a time.
BY ELISSA SANCI“Deaf people deserve the chance to
work and grow,” says Mozzeria co-owner
Melody Stein, second from left.restaurant, including kitchen and
bathroom tiling as well as custom-
made tables and bar shelves.
“I beam with pride when I tell
customers that Deaf people did
the work,” says Melody.
Melody also prioritized hiring
Deaf people, many of whom
often face underemployment
and unemployment, to work
at the restaurant.
To order, most guests either
point to what they want on their
menus or write it down on the
paper provided at each table, but
many of the regulars have learned
the hand signs for their favorites.
Now, Melody and Russ have
partnered with Communication
Service for the Deaf (CSD), a
nonprofit that supports businesses
that hire Deaf people, and have
plans to open another location.
“We have the same mission,”
Melody says of CSD. “To create
more job opportunities for our
Deaf community.”I want our
restaurant to be
a place where
Deaf people feel
comfortable.”DYANSUE^ (GROUP);MOZZERIA^(PIZZA).^