Marina's marks 10 years of pizza-making class trips

More than 5,000 kindergartners have learned it’s more than just going out to eat pizza, By Nancy Kriz HARRIMAN - Clap-clap...clap-clap-clap. Nancy Peifer’s kindergarten class sat up straight in the seats in Marina’s Restaurant in Harriman last week, knowing full well what those five rhythmic claps meant. They responded in unison to the clapping command to stop talking and pay attention by repeating it to the person issuing the signal. And the person giving that directive was Tony Flores, one of the pizza men at Marina’s. Students in the lower grades in the Monroe-Woodbury School District are taught that instruction as they enter kindergarten. Parents quickly catch on that it’s a handy way to get the attention of a group of small kids in any situation. So does Flores. This is the 10th year he and the Alliu brothers - owners Bobby and Sam and their wives Rosie and Julie - have hosted all the district’s kindergarten classes for a field trip to Marina’s. This spring, the eight classes from Sapphire Elementary and 14 from Smith Clove Elementary will make the trip to the restaurant to learn the basics of making pizza. Some quick math translates that to more than 5,000 kindergartners learning the story of pizza-making over the years, fitting that experience into the farm curriculum taught in kindergarten now as well as learning some other important lessons. A peek behind the counter “This all started (years ago) during a field trip to the farm, where we learned about milk and cheese,” said Peifer. “Going to the pizza parlor shows them this is one of the places that cheese ends up at. We talk about concepts like ‘from the farm to the table.’ This is part of our farm unit, and also about community helpers. The pizza man helps us to make pizza.” Flores knows he has about 75 minutes to talk to the kids, have them make their pizzas, cook and serve their lunches and have time for the kids to eat their finished products so they’re on their bus and back to school for their midday work. “Where do we get the dough from?” asked Flores, the restaurant’s manager. “Do we mix it? Do we stretch it?” As small balls of dough are passed around, the children are allowed to stretch their eventual lunches into shape. Flour on the table quickly gets on their faces and clothes and in their hair as they gleefully see the mess they’re making. Flores helps them to correctly shape their dough as Julie Alliu walks around with tomato sauce. “They’ve always wondered what goes on behind the counter and now they see,” she said. “When the kids come here, many tell us their brothers or sisters already came here (in past years) to make their pizzas.” Using spoons, the kindergartners spread tomato sauce with minimal disarray as their teacher, teaching assistant and chaperone parents watched. Later, mozzarella is passed around for the kids to sprinkle on their mini pies. “It is nice to take a break from the daily routine,” said Paula Donovan, the class teaching assistant. She led the class in a rousing rendition of “I am a Pizza,” including the French language “Je suis une Pizza” lyrics, a song known to families with small children, as they waited for their lunches to cook. Co-owner Bobby Alliu watched with a smile as the kids sang “from tomato, sauce is squeezed.” “It’s good for us,” he said, acknowledging the business it brings into the restaurant. “They (the kids) want to come here after because this is where they made their pizzas. The parents tell us their kids loved coming here. It’s good for the kids and it’s good for the community.” The field trip costs $5 for each child and accompanying chaperone for their personal size pizza and a drink but Julie Alliu stressed “we tell the schools that if the children can’t afford the cost to still please bring them. It’s not about the money. We do it for the kids.” From the farm The kids do have an understanding they’re there for not just a pizza-making session, but to see where selected types of farm produce end up. When asked from where does cheese come, Monroe resident Abigail McCleary immediately knew. “From the cow,” she said. “I know all that stuff. Then comes milk that makes the cheese.” Madison Vassallo of Monroe also knew where the sauce originates. “From tomatoes,” she said, giving a visitor an incredulous look as if there could be any other answer. Robbie Espinosa of Monroe needed a little assistance from his mother when asked from where the pizza dough comes. “From wheat,” he eventually said, but added seriously, “but the wheat is dead.” But it’s more than just a lesson about farm produce, Peifer added. “Yes, it is a social activity,” she said. “It’s all about manners and being out in a restaurant. It’s about the lost art of chatting with their friends. There’s no computers here. It’s about sequencing: What are the parts of pizza and in what order do they come? “It’s also an introductory lesson in commerce,” Peifer added. “We explain to them the farmer sells the milk to the cheese factory to make the cheese. The cheese factory sells it to the store and the pizza man buys it from the store to use to make his pizza. He sells pizza to us and we eat it.” As the restaurant staff served the freshly cooked personal pizzas to the children, Abigail McCleary happily waited for hers. “I like having fun with my class,” said Abigail. “I like pizza. It tastes delicious.”