In her new pizzeria in southern Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Miranda Dean offers a wide range of Italian and American cuisine, including an unusually-named signature sandwich.
She gained her love for Italian food not just by growing up in a pizza restaurant but also by inheritance.
Her father, Michael Moussa, has owned Rocco’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant in Philipsburg for 19 years, throughout which his daughter worked several jobs in his restaurant, gaining invaluable experience and culinary training.
In 2013, Dean graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan and began working as a chef at prominent restaurants in New York City.
Today, she is the head chef of Randy’s Pizzeria, which she also co-owns with her husband Jake.
“Growing up in a pizza shop, I fell in love with Italian food,” she told The Morning Call.
“A lot of people ask me if I’m Italian, and I tell them that I’m not. I’m actually Lebanese, German, and Irish. My dad was born in Lebanon and came to the United States when he was 10.”
“I inherited a love of cooking from him as well as my grandmother,” she said.
The 27-year-old chef offers various Italian and American dishes, from pizzas with tens of different topping options to calzones, burgers, chicken wings, and cheesesteaks, not to mention her restaurant’s “Fat Cat” oven-baked specialty.
“You can get steak, chicken, or burger, and each sandwich features American cheese, mozzarella cheese, ketchup, mayo, French fries, and onions,” Dean explained.
To stay true to her restaurant’s slogan, “slice of heaven,” Dean ensures that every ingredient, even the most basic ones, is made “from scratch,” and she refrains from using “generic” products.
She makes her own dough and sauce, shreds her own cheese from a high-quality cheese, and cuts French fries fresh-to-order.
