The company, based in Jemapoh, 120 km south of the capital Kuala Lumpur, offers pizza with herbs and spices and sliced pineapples mixed with meat or tuna, in addition to a thick layer of mozzarella and Cheddar cheese.
“We did it to get some pocket money,” said Raudhah Hassan, 35, the oldest of several siblings and the originator of the business.
“But – thank God – what we did became the talk of the town.”
Pizzas have been flying out of the family’s makeshift kitchen since late April, a month after authorities imposed restrictions restricting people from their homes and closed most businesses.
The restaurants were in a position to proceed operating, and after Raudhah’s scarf shop saw a drop in business and a few of her siblings had their salaries cut, the family decided to open a pizzeria.
“We’re stuck here. We said we had to do something,” explained Raudhah, who runs the business from her parents’ home with the assistance of other members of the family.
The family built a stone oven of their backyard to arrange dozens of pizzas for the Muslim-majority country’s holy month of Ramadan, when worshipers typically enjoy hearty meals before breaking their fast.
The business quickly became successful.
“Some pizzas are too salty, but this one is really good,” said Nurliyana Hidayah, a first-time customer.
“I’ll come here again.”
The family has now expanded their home to incorporate a store and employed around 20 people from the village, who prepare as much as 800 wood-fired pizzas every single day, five days per week.
