Think frozen pizza and you’ll likely imagine a sad DiGiorno warmed up and eaten on the couch on a lazy weeknight when you’re too exhausted to improve anything. But, as a Sarasota pizzeria demonstrates, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Antonio and Jay Mancini are husband and wife co-owners of Atmosphere, a pizzeria we’ve rated as one of the best restaurants in Sarasota. But the restaurant, located in a modest mall storefront, isn’t the only place you can get Mancinis’ exceptional pies. The couple also offers its frozen Neapolitan pizzas.
Initially selling directly to consumers through Shopify, the Mancinis soon found themselves, like many small business owners, struggling with supply chain issues. So they turned to commercial accounts, selling a steady supply of frozen pizzas to retailers. For over a year, their business model has been booming, with local favorites like Morton’s Siesta Market launch their premier pies, which have been renamed Vesuvio pizzas.
Frozen meals are prepared in the same way as the restaurant’s fresh and hot pizzas. They are baked in an authentic wood-fired oven to create the Neapolitan char on the crust, and the pies are then cooled to sub-zero temperatures to maintain optimum quality.
You can also find their pizzas in Italian markets like The violet and Casa Italia, as well as the olive oil outpost on Anna Maria Island. If you want a restaurant experience, you can stop by Wine & Spirits Diving on Clark Road, where the craft-cocktail speakeasy heats up and serves Atmosphere’s pies to accompany its creative libations.
Diners are still welcome to visit the restaurant in person, of course, but now you can also enjoy great pizza at home in your pajamas, if you don’t feel like making the trip.
Atmosphere is located at 935 N. Beneva Road, Sarasota. For more information, call (941) 203-8452.
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