An Oven Before a Restaurant
Two people. A year in Naples. One wood-burning obsession that became the best pizza on the California coast.
Our Story
Forty-Seven Pizzerias, One Formula, and a Warehouse in Santa Cruz
Serena Bautista grew up in the Monterey Bay, eating fish tacos on the wharf and learning to bake bread in her grandmother's kitchen. Marco Ellroy spent eight years on the line in San Francisco restaurants, mastering technique but never once making a pizza that satisfied him. They met in Naples in 2018, both students of fermentation and fire, both convinced that authentic Neapolitan pizza was the most underrepresented category in California dining.
They ate at forty-seven pizzerias over eleven months. They took notes on dough hydration, on how long each place let the flour rest, on the exact moment a pizza should come off the oven floor. Marco apprenticed for four months under a third-generation pizzaiolo in the Quartieri Spagnoli. Serena developed a Tipo 00 fermentation schedule based on the coastal humidity of Santa Cruz.
They came home in 2019, found a warehouse, and built the oven before they found the space. A four-thousand-pound hand-built dome, fueled by coast live oak sourced from a family grove in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It took six months to dial in the temperature curve.
The restaurant opened on Cedar Street in March 2021. The first weekend sold out in four hours. Three years later the dough formula has not changed, the oak source has not changed, and the oven has never been turned off.
Olive & Ash is a California restaurant that tastes like it was built on the Amalfi coast. That is exactly what we intended.
“The oven cost more than the first month of rent. That tells you everything about our priorities.”
— Marco Ellroy, co-founder
From the Source
We trace every ingredient back to the field, the mill, or the creamery. When the sourcing is right, the pizza announces itself.
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Caputo Tipo 00 Flour
Mulino Caputo, Naples, Italy
Superfine-milled from soft winter wheat and blended for the elasticity Neapolitan dough demands. Our 48-hour cold ferment lets its natural complexity fully develop before the ball ever touches the peel.
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San Marzano DOP Tomatoes
Volcanic foothills of Mount Vesuvius, Campania, Italy
Certified DOP and grown in the narrow band of volcanic alluvial soil between Vesuvius and Sarno. The mineral sweetness and low acidity come directly from that geography — no sauce adjustment needed.
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Fior di Latte Mozzarella
California Coast Creamery, Petaluma, CA
Pulled fresh daily in Petaluma and driven to Santa Cruz the same morning. High moisture, clean milk flavor, and the right fat ratio to bubble and char properly at 900 degrees without turning watery.
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Cobram Estate Olive Oil
Woodland, California
Early-harvest California extra-virgin with a grassy, peppery finish that holds its character even at high heat. We use it at two points: in the dough and as a cold finish the moment the pizza leaves the oven.
Inside Olive & Ash
What Guests Are Saying
Reviews from google
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★★★★★
"I lived in Naples for two years. This is the closest I have found in California. The cornicione on the Margherita has that exact right amount of char and air. Unreal."
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★★★★★
"The Boscaiola is everything. Truffle cream, those wild mushrooms, the shaved Pecorino — and the crust still stands up under all of it. Order this one first."
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★★★★★
"Dark, moody, and absolutely delicious. The burrata starter with the charred tomatoes is worth the trip by itself. Then the Tartufo pizza shows up and you forget everything else."
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★★★★★
"My family has been coming here every Friday since they opened. The Diavola is our standing order — the heat is real but the honey at the end brings you back. Perfect every time."
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★★★★☆
"Beautiful space, outstanding pizza. The natural wine list is a nice touch — the orange wine paired with the Bianca is a revelation. Only wish they were open on Mondays."
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