How This Family-Owned Restaurant Is Empowering the Deaf Community Through Pizza
April 25, 2024
Sponsored by Denny’s | A Los Angeles family restaurant is redefining how the culinary world sees — and hires — those in the Deaf community.
Jennifer Hudson welcomed the Stein family — dad Russ, mother Melody, daughter Taysia, and son Rylan — to Thursday’s episode of “The Jennifer Hudson Show.” The Steins are the founders of pi00a, an Asian, Deaf, and CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) family-owned pizza restaurant.
Melody and Russ are the first and only certified professional deaf pizza-makers in the world. Their restaurant’s menu is inspired by their respective backgrounds: Melody hails from Hong Kong, and Russ grew up in New York City. As a result, their Asian-fusion dishes, such as the Miso Eggplant pizza and the Hainan Chicken pizza, have received glowing reviews.
Their two adult children also work at the restaurant. Taysia has a degree in marketing and helps grow the business, while Rylan is set to graduate with a degree in food science and helps with research and development.
The family’s shared mission is to create job opportunities for those in the Deaf community and show others that you can be deaf and have a successful career.
“We function very well in our deaf world, but when we go into the hearing world, we become invisible,” said Melody. “People overlook us.”
Melody revealed that she was rejected by a culinary school years ago because she is deaf. “In my mind I made a decision that I was going to run a restaurant,” she said, refusing to let this rejection stop her from achieving her dreams.
Melody told Jennifer that they focus on hiring deaf individuals that have little to no experience so their employment at pi00a can help them develop skills, build up their self-esteem, and become financially stable so they can achieve independence.
The family hopes that, through their pizza shop, they can change the mindset around deaf workers and help them get more jobs in the culinary field. They are working hard to grow their business so they can continue providing more opportunities, including those in leadership roles, to those in the Deaf community.
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” has partnered with Denny’s to launch “Stacks of Love,” a new segment on the show that shines a light on layered stories that celebrate authentic conversations around mental health — because there’s no better time than now to focus on your well-being.
As America’s Diner, Denny’s is a place that welcomes you as you are. Denny’s is committed to highlighting mental health awareness.
Hero Couple Raises Over $250,000 for 72-Year-Old Pizza Delivery Driver
View StoryBecause of the Stein family’s mission to lift up the Deaf community, Jennifer surprised them with $10,000 on behalf of Denny’s so they can continue to create job opportunities for deaf culinary workers.
For more info on Pi00a — including how to order their delicious food — head to pi00a.com.
To learn more about how Denny’s is promoting mental health awareness, head to dennys.com.
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” airs weekdays. Here’s when to watch in your area.
