NYC's Mel's Announces A Star-Studded Lineup For Its F.O.M.O Pizza Series

Melissa Rodriguez of Mel's Pizzeria is throwing quite the pizza party this summer. The acclaimed executive chef and partner of NYC's prized pizzeria is inviting her fellow Michelin star-winning cooks to prepare a signature pie during a new series called F.O.M.O (Friends of Mel's Oven). 

Running now through Labor Day weekend, it's clearly an event not to miss out on as the menu will feature a different pizza every two weeks from four acclaimed NYC chefs. The list includes Daniel Boulud, Gabriel Kreuther, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Junghyun Park.

Rodriguez's former employer, chef Daniel Boulud kicks off the series with his pie, available through July 21. Called "Pizza Pavilion," it's a seafood-inspired pizza that takes cues from his restaurant Le Pavillon. It has a parsley and seaweed crust with a creamy oyster chowder base and comes topped with traditional chowder ingredients like oysters, potatoes, and leeks, plus chopped hazelnuts for added texture. 

Next up, July 22 through August 4, will be the creation of Alsatian chef Gabriel Kreuther, of his eponymous upscale Midtown French restaurant, which was recently named one of the The New York Times' "100 Best Restaurants in New York City." Kreuther's "Coastal Farmers Pizza" will be umami-packed with red sauce, black dry cured olives, red onions, green bell peppers, cured anchovies, mortadella, ricotta, and a sunny side egg, all garnished with fresh basil. 

But that's not all, there's two more chef-inspired pizzas in the series that will be just as delectable.

The F.O.M.O series at Mel's Pizzeria will carry on into August. Next up, August 5-18 will be Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's "Sunflower" pizza featuring summer squash in two tasty ways. The base will contain a Sungold tomato sauce, and come topped with summer squash and squash blossoms alongside mozzarella and ricotta cheese.

The final chef to round out the series will be Junghyun Park of NYC staples Atomix and Atoboy. Park's Korean-inspired creation, "K-Mediterranean Pizza," will be available August 19 through September 1 and will feature pork belly, fried sardines, kimchi, and peppery arugula. 

The F.O.M.O pizza series is available for lunch, Friday through Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner, Wednesday through Monday, starting at 5:30 p.m. Each guest chef's creation is available alongside Mel's signature wood oven-fired pizzas. Mel's current menu offers creative pizzas like "Shrimp Scampi" with a Parmesan fonduta as well as the "Mushroom," topped with smoked mozzarella and aged balsamic vinegar, but there's also the usual suspects like Margherita pizza.

Aside from pizza, the Italian restaurant also focuses on its desserts, with five gelato sundaes not to be missed, including Tricolore Stracciatella with mascarpone gelato, fudge, and Italian rainbow cookies. 

To commemorate the event, limited-edition F.O.M.O T-shirts are available for purchase at the restaurant, located at 85 Tenth Avenue between 15 Street and 16 Street. Reservations are available via Resy and by calling the restaurant.