The dynamic duo behind FM Pizza have now established a brick and mortar presence in Wimberley. No longer operating out of a food truck on RR 12, owners John Messina and Christine Daley set up shop last week in the Wimberley Commons business area across from Kelly’s Barbecue, next door to Wash Day laundry.
Offering New York-style thin crust pizza by the slice or whole pie, their current menu offers 11 combinations and custom pies topped with a choice of four “bases” — red, white, pink or green — as well as romaine-based Caesar and house salads, with house-made dressings and garlic knots.
For those not familiar with New York style pizza terminology, their red base is a red sauce, as you might imagine, and the white base consists of garlic, ricotta, aged mozzarella and parmesan romano. The pink base is a cooked vodka sauce also with aged mozzarella and parmesan romano, and the green is a spinach artichoke cream sauce topped with the same two cheeses.
Both Daley and Messina bring a background of hard work, authenticity and experience to their pizza-making. Both have Sicilian heritage. The “F” of FM Pizza is an homage to Daley’s mother’s maiden name of Fortuna and the “M,” represents Messina’s last name. And both of these creators speak fluent pizza.
Daley grew up on Long Island where she says “there’s a pie shop on every corner.” Both she and Messina are also experienced winemakers who use their knowledge of enology, the science and study of wine and winemaking, in their approach to doughmaking.
FM Pizza dough is cold fermented for 24 hours before it’s crafted into a pie. The cold fermenting process offers several benefits. It improves the flavor, texture and browning of the dough, allowing the crust to caramelize and blister perfectly in the ovens. Those who are gluten sensitive or who experience bloating after a slice or two of pizza will be glad to know the cold fermenting process breaks down complex carbohydrates making them easier to digest.
“We also use unbleached, non-gmo, non-brominated flour for our pies,” said Daley. “New York state has banned brominated flour, so we’re doing our dough the hard way.”
Bromated flour has been treated with potassium bromate, a chemical additive that strengthens dough and improves its elasticity, but as a suspected carcinogen, it is banned in many countries, as well as in states like California and New York.
Messina and Daley also insist on first quality ingredients. “We use Grande brand cheese out of Wisconsin, the gold standard for pizza cheese because of its super high quality. It’s so worth it and people can tell the difference. We also use cupping pepperoni and sausage, which is a higher quality ingredient because it has a natural, not a synthetic, casing and until we can expand our kitchen, we use the Fontaninini brand for our meatballs. That family has been creating authentic Italian meats, toppings and specialty sausages for generations.”
Likewise they use Spanislaus brand tomatoes for their red sauce. Stanislaus Food Products is a family-owned company in Modesto, California that specializes in premium, fresh-packed tomato products. In the culinary world they are widely considered an industry standard.
Highly experimental, they also offer, from time to time, specialty pizzas such as the Caesar Salad slice with white sauce, currently a popular choice in New York. Or Brisket pizza with a sauce that’s a blend of red sauce and barbecue sauce developed with Kelly’s Hill Country BBQ.
Messina and Daley met in 2011 when working for the Texas Conservation Corps, an organization under the Americorp umbrella, performing trailbuilding, disaster relief and habitat restoration. They were a part of the team that helped with the Bastrop wildfires in 2011 and participated in tornado disaster relief efforts following the Joplin, Mo. tornadoes that same year. Before becoming part of the Wimberley community, they were roommates in Austin for several years where they used to make pizzas out of their backyard for fun, inviting friends to enjoy their creations on Austin’s east side.
Future plans include expanding into the space next door to create a sports bar with booth seating and serving, at least in the beginning, beer and wine with a focus on Texas wines which they are passionate about. And in time they’ll offer online ordering. But for the time being, take out pizza can be ordered by calling 737-260-4686. Their menu is visible at fmpizzatx.com
For now, FM Pizza is open from 11 am to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays and until 10:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. They are closed Tuesday. Their shop is located at 14306 RR12, suite 103.
