Story by Tracy Morin | Photos by Mike Prince
Mason Lesser, a former professional surfer, may not look like the average pizzaiolo. But the 25-year-old, founder of a new Philadelphia-based pizza shop, Marina’s in Fishtown, actually began his hospitality career at the age of 14, working in his grandfather’s pizza shops.
Now, 11 years later, Lesser is a restaurateur and hospitality entrepreneur focused on craft-driven pizza rooted in old-world discipline and optimized by modern operations. Since opening in December 2025, Marina’s Pizza has quickly gained recognition for its elevated approach to New York-style slices, with a mission defined by precision, consistency and uncompromising standards.
Lesser’s grandfather, Naples native Angelo Lancellotti, owned and operated dozens of pizza shops across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware and South Florida. With him, Lesser learned the fundamentals of dough production, systems and operational discipline. “Every pie begins with a 60-year-old Italian starter, undergoes a 48-hour fermentation, and is baked in a classic Baker’s Pride oven,” according to the brand. “The name Marina’s honors Lesser’s mother and grandmother, grounding the concept in family tradition.”
“This business was in the works for a long time,” Lesser explains. “I always knew this is what I was going to do, but it was just about finding the right location. Finding the right space took me four years, as I looked in Philly, New York, New Jersey and even Miami, ultimately realizing that Fishtown was best for me.”
Before fully committing to hospitality, Lesser was a professional surfer for Volcom, competing internationally in Hawaii, Europe and Indonesia. He stepped away from competitive surfing in 2022 to focus entirely on Marina’s. He currently splits his time between Philadelphia and Long Beach Island—and spends way more time making pizza than surfing these days.
“Surfing will always be in my life, but right now my priority is making Marina’s one of the best pizza destinations in Philadelphia,” Lesser says. “I’m in this for the long haul, and I’m certain that this is what I’m meant to do. Not too long ago, I thought that being a pro surfer was ‘living the dream,’ but I’ve come to realize that this is my dream come true. This is my calling, and I absolutely love it!”
Lesser recently sat down with PMQ to talk more about his pizza (and surfing) past, what makes his New York-style pies stand out in Philadelphia, and how he has brought his traditional-meets-modern pizza vision into reality.
PMQ: You started working in your grandfather’s pizza shops at a young age. What are some of the most important lessons he taught you that shape how you run Marina’s today?
Mason Lesser: The main thing he always said was just to work as hard as possible, work seven days a week, and put everything you have into the business, no many hours it takes. Growing up around his operations showed me the ins and outs of how to run a pizza shop and gave me a very important preview of what it takes to run my own business from a young age.
PMQ: What ultimately made you decide to step away from surfing and fully commit to pizza? What lessons can you use from surfing to succeed in the pizza industry—or what lessons have you had in pizza that might improve your surfing?
Lesser: I was a competitive surfer and also in the real estate business a bit. I fully committed to pizza because it’s hard to make money surfing, and it’s not a real career path for most. But I knew that I could make a career out of running my own pizza shop. Patience pays off with surfing, and it pays off in the business world as well. It’s all about patience. If you aren’t patient all day, in both surfing and while running a business, you won’t get what you’re looking for.
PMQ: Tell us about the pizza recipe development. Why were traditional methods so important for you to preserve, while keeping the menu simple?
Lesser: This is a recipe I grew up with and respected. I knew that it worked, and it’s what I wanted my pizza to represent. I didn’t see the need to really toy with that or change things up much, as I respect the traditional aspect of this method. I also like to keep my menu as simple as possible. It helps for operations. My top sellers are plain cheese and pepperoni pizzas.
PMQ: There are a lot of New York-style pizza shops out there, and Philly is a competitive market. What makes Marina’s stand out from competitors?
Lesser: What I’m doing isn’t much different from what everyone else is doing, but I think I have a great location, the process I’m putting into the dough goes a long way, and I am using fresh ingredients, focusing on a simple menu with less overhead. Really, just making sure to be patient and put forth the best possible quality product is what matters to me.
I grew up learning how to make pizza and run a business from my grandfather, who is using old-world discipline and his own style of operations to be successful. This is where I learned to do what I’m doing—it wasn’t something I was taught by [someone from] this generation. It works out to run this business like he has been for so many decades.
PMQ: What have been some of your biggest challenges and successes so far, and what are your plans for the future?
Lesser: Prior to opening, it took forever to find the right location and the right staffing. It’s easier to find a good location if you can make the investment, but I wanted to mitigate my risk. I was persistent and found a space that had minimal need for renovations.
Seeing my vision come to life has been my greatest joy. It’s not just about food and pizza to me—it’s about bringing that goal to life. It’s all about turning my vision into reality, which is joyful to me. I am focusing on my one shop right now, and whatever happens in the future will happen.
Our main focus is good hospitality and word-of-mouth, which have both been great for Marina’s—being in such a good location with heavy foot traffic, and with so many satisfied customers talking us up, is really making this business’s success organic.
