Micucci Grocery

Portland, Maine has a ton of great pizza, but I think the best, and definitely the most famous, is what's known as the Sicilian slab at Micucci Grocery Company.

Micucci’s was founded in 1949 by my mother-in-law and father-in-law, Leo and Iris Micucci.

So it's a Mediterranean grocery store, and we also have a small bakery upstairs, and we wholesale as well to restaurants.

Anna Micucci and her family are the smiling faces you'll see in this store. And trust me, it's a good sized family.

We have a lot of family members here. We have my husband, Rick, who runs the business and we have my brother Gilbert, who is our store manager, my brother Ernie, who is our wholesale manager, our daughter Talia, who works in the bakery, our niece Ava, working alongside her in the bakery. And my sister-in-law, Julie, who works at the cash and my nephew John Michael… he covers all areas… all the departments.

We definitely want everyone to feel like family when they come in. And they often mention that — they say what a great experience they've had, and that they feel like they're part of our family.

The Sicilian slab is the star of the show, but this store offers so much more. There is a very high-end deli counter with the best meats and cheeses, and then there's a great selection of olive oils and pastas — all sorts of amazing products imported from Italy.

“When people come here, they might come for just a slice of our pizza, and they end up with a basket full of other items.”

Once you work your way through the retail store, you come to this back room. This is where they make the pizza, and you line up right here to get your slice.

They start making these slices at 9 a.m. They start serving at 11 a.m, so they are fresh and piping hot all day long. But I have to warn you once they sell out, that's it, you're out of luck. So you may want to get here right at 11.

I love this pizza window because I love seeing the process and it makes me confident. They are doing this the old-fashioned way. They're proud. They want the customers to see how they make these slabs.

The bakers come in early and they start off prepping the dough. Everything is by hand. We don't have any mixers. It is all by hand. It just makes the dough come out that light, airy texture that we're looking for.And then they put it off to the side to rise, and after it rises, they'll go over and pan it. Then they start dressing it and get it in the oven.

They cook it for 15 minutes at about 500 degrees. And as a result of these ovens being decades old, there is actually flavor baked right into that oven — and you will taste it.

On top of that dough and sauce, they put a mozzarella cheese. Now this is 100% mozzarella. Most pizza places give you a blend, and most places don't use 100% whole milk mozzarella. I'm telling you, you will smell it, you will taste it. It's even a different texture in your mouth. It's the only cheese I think that could really finish off this great piece of pizza.

So it's Sicilian-style pizza, and it is thick, but it's not as heavy as when you look at it. You're thinking it's light, pillowy dough. The cheese that we use on the pizza is a high-quality mozzarella cheese. The sauce is a sweet, tangy taste.So when people bite into it, they're just in awe. They love the taste, they love the texture, and you have to come in and try it for yourself.

The slab is so gigantic it needs its own cardboard box. I have a small head, but this will give you some perspective for how big this slice is.

Besides the pizza, they make something called Luna bread. It's served in a half-moon shape, and just like the pizza, it is unbelievably thick yet airy. I can only compare it maybe to a slice of pita bread, but I've never had anything quite like this.

When you get the Luna bread and you bite into it hot, it's just beautiful, wonderful taste. It's soft and pillowy, like the pizza.

If you're going to walk around Portland, Maine just for the shopping and the sights and you don't want to do a sit-down lunch, Micucci Grocery is the place you need to remember.

We would love to have everybody come to Micucci’s because we believe in the highest quality at great prices. And I always tell people — taste the difference.