Cyclone Dining Chefs Share Secret to Perfect Pizza

If you visit the Lackland Dining Hall during the lunch or dinner rush, you are sure to see plenty of options at Slices, the Italian station. Slices offers pizza with a variety of toppings as well as delectable plates of pasta and other Italian delights. 

Dominic and Anna Coppola are a married couple who work at the Lackland Dining Hall for Cyclone Dining. They both cook and prepare food for students who come to the dining hall to eat. Dominic makes pizza in the Italian section of the dining hall, and Anna does just about everything else when it comes to cooking! Anna stated that she especially “loves working at the grill and wok station.” 

I had the opportunity to interview them about their background, and they told me about their history and beginnings when they came to America from Naples, Italy. 

I asked Dominic about how he and Anna decided to work at Cyclone Dining. He replied, “we owned an Italian restaurant and sold it, and then decided to come work at Centenary because it was a good job for us. I love making pizza at Centenary the same way I did when I had my own restaurant in 1979.”  

Growing up in Naples has influenced their lives in the United States. Dominic shared, “It’s very different in Naples; I met Anna there, and we moved to the U.S. after we went on vacation there first. We definitely made the right choice to move to the United States!”

Upon first moving to the United States, Dominic opened Ernie and Doms, located along Route 31 in Washington Township in Warren County. Dominic found owning the restaurant nice but considered it a lot of stress. 

Pizza is Dom’s specialty, so I asked him to share his tips for making pizza at home. Dom said that the biggest mistake people make is not stretching the dough enough. People usually do not stretch it enough, because it is hard to do. Dom’s favorite pizza toppings include tomato, basil, garlic, sausage, broccoli rabe, and buffalo chicken. He was also quick to add that he makes the best zeppole and garlic knots! He suggested at college, Centenary students should eat his pizza when he makes it instead of making it at home. 

When asked if there was anything else that he wanted the students of Centenary to know, he replied that students should not be afraid to ask for special pizza, because he can make it!