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They’re
known as the Pizza Girls. “People don’t remember
our names, but they know us for what we do best,” says
Phoebe Reckseit, half of West Palm Beach’s most popular
pizza-making team. Jennifer Morales, Pizza Girls’ other
half, adds, “It’s funny, because we remember all
of their names and their regular orders.”
Three
years ago, the girls were managing the pizza place up the
street (“Which shall remain nameless,” Morales straight-faces),
next to the Clematis Street theater, then owned by Reckseit’s
stepsister Patrice Gordon and attorney Hal Winter. When the
place was sold, Reckseit and Morales took a deep breath and
plunged in to entrepreneurship. With their charisma and hands-on
attitude, in addition to their creative pizzas, their fans
followed.
“We
didn’t anticipate such a successful opening. We built
a wonderful clientele over the years, and they’ve all
followed us here,” says Morales. “We opened with
a bang last October,” confirms Reckseit. “there
were people standing in line all the way down the street and
around the corner. The entire community has been so great
to us. They mayor has eaten here, county commissioners, community
leaders, they have all shown us their support.”
Neither
of the girls is Italian (“I’m Jewish and she’s
half Puerto Rican,” Phoebe explains), but they’ve
managed to create a pizza parlor with a New York feel combined
with Florida flair. Posters of Rigoletto, Tosca and La Boheme,
and a series of New York street scenes adorn the walls, which
are the color of Florida sunshine. Their gourmet pizzas bear
New York names - the Broadway, the SoHo, the Little Italy,
the Village Veggie - but these are “non-traditional”
gourmet pizzas with fresh ingredients, creatively combined
and presented. (Try a slice with artichokes, portobello mushroom
and Gorgonzola cheese. It’s heaven.) “We’re
the only place around where you can get gourmet pizza by the
slice,” says Morales.
Reckseit
is from New York City, where she worked in accounting. Morales,
from Allentown, Pennsylvania, has a background in social services.
“She’s the people-person and I’m the money-person,”
Reckseit explains, although they are both humorous and direct
and equally popular with their clientele. “People who
walk by the shop can see us through the window when we’re
making pizzas,” Morales says. “They almost always
start waving and yelling, “Hey, Pizza Girls!”
Over
the years, they have painstakingly studied the fine art of
pizza-making, a process more intricate than it seems, and
they have perfected their pizzas’ mouthwatering crust
and secret sauce. “Learning to make really good pizza
is like going to school all over again,” Morales says.
“We have attended seminars all over the country. Have
you ever heard of the ‘Dough Doctor?’ Well, most
pizzerias haven’t either. Once you have perfected your
dough and your sauce, then you can explore and be creative.”
In addition to pizza, the menu includes pasta dishes, home-baked
lasagna, salads and pizza rolls.
The
Pizza Girls have just begun delivery service, which is also
booming. The delivery area covers all of West Palm Beach and
the island of Palm Beach. They also cater lunches for several
schools in the area. “We’re here day and night,”
Reckseit admits, “but what a great place to be.”
114 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. 833-4004.
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