By Alexandra Mortati, Women In Pizza
Known for her creativity, business acumen and passion for her craft, Anna Crucitt, the owner, pizzaiola and gelato maker at Mercurio’s Artisan Gelato and Neapolitan Pizza in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, inspires everyone she meets to always strive to improve and make the most out of each and every day.
Crucitt always had a strong sense of family. Along with her six siblings, she grew up working in her parents’ gelateria. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in marketing and Italian, her love of the service industry and Italian food led her to open Mercurio’s with her brothers, Michael and Joe, in 2012.
Both master trainers in Neapolitan pizza, Michael and Joe taught Anna to make pizza. In 2019 she won second place in the Gluten-Free division of the Caputo Cup in Naples, Italy. Always looking to improve, she’s fascinated by the science behind dough and its ongoing evolution.
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In June 2023, PMQ interviewed Crucitt for an article on pork toppings and found her to be a wealth of knowledge on pizza-making as well as marketing and social media. She noted that Mercurio’s has “a pretty traditional menu, but hopefully we can encourage some pizza makers to try something new.”
She added, “One of my favorite pies we make is called the Porchetta. We use a savory and fatty porchetta roast that has a garlic, rosemary and slight fennel flavor. It’s a white pie, with the porchetta laid on the crust; then we lightly cover it with a homemade burrata cheese. We add a little mascarpone to make it creamy and sprinkle with oregano before it goes in the oven. Once the pizza is cooked, we add crushed peppercorn and a drizzle of olive oil.”
Anna’s passion extends beyond work and, in her free time, she enjoys making pizza and gelato at home with her husband and three little girls.
Anna puts her heart and soul into everything she does. Together, Anna, Michael and Joe have created a special environment where, from the moment you enter Mercurio’s, you feel like family.
Alexandra Mortati is the marketing director for Orlando Foods and founder of Women In Pizza, a not-for-profit organization that empowers women in the pizza industry to share their stories, display their talents, inspire innovations, and connect with one another and the world. This article originally appeared on the Instagram account for Women In Pizza. Click here to learn more about the organization.
