Enzo’s ‘Pizza Queen’ to step down from iconic Burnley takeaway

A special leaving party was held for Maria where more than 100 people enjoyed a night of Italian music alongside some amazing Italian and Sicilian dishes.

Four special pizza cakes were made to resemble the famous Enzo’s pizzas, including edible 1986 pizza menus and also a sugar edible recreation of Enzo’s original Pizza spade and Pizza slicer.Maria’s husband, Vincenzo, opened Enzo’s with his wife and brother, Lillo, in 1986. Vincenzo died in April 2020, days after the shop closed due to the pandemic.

Such was the admiration and stature in which he was held, thousands of people left personal tributes and messages of condolence for his family.

Maria said: “I was devastated when I lost Vincenzo. We were due to retire in October 2020, but I put that on hold to see the shop through this difficult period.

"It was tough returning to the shop and not seeing my husband serve our customers. He had a great way of making people feel welcome; everyone left with a smile on their faces.

"Now Enzo’s is back on its feet, it’s time for me to step away and reflect on the great times I’ve had, and think about what I could do in the future.”

It was Maria’s recipes that captivated customers at Enzo’s, which won ‘Best Takeaway’ at the Good Food Awards last year.

Maria said: “It feels like it was only yesterday when me and Vincenzo sat down one evening on a cold evening back in 1985. We talked about bringing a real Italian Pizza shop to Burnley and together we came up with the name Enzo’s as it was short for Vincenzo, by 1986 we had opened Enzo’s, it truly was a family affair.“Now that Vincenzo has gone and we have had time to readjust I believe I’m leaving the shop in good hands and will continue to make great pizzas for years to come.”Customers would often visit Enzo’s to chat to the friendly staff, and Maria said: “It’s the people I will miss the most. We had regulars who would keep us up to date with the goings on in the town, but sometimes we’d have visitors from as far away as Italy and America, who had heard about the shop and wanted to try our pizzas.

"It was always interesting, and I was heartened to hear people still ask about me on my days off. I’d like to thank them all for visiting, supporting Enzo’s and their continued friendship.”As for the future, Maria says she still intends to be creative in the kitchen. “Vincenzo and I had so many great recipes and dishes that we never got round to putting on the menu at Enzo’s. Now I feel is the time to go ahead with the plans we had together.”Maria, for the first time since before the pandemic, will be returning to Turf Moor with her family to see her husband’s beloved Burnley FC take on Bristol City.“I feel now is the time to return to my husband’s church alongside my beautiful family. We will lay flowers for Vincenzo at his memorial tree and plaque in the beautiful Turf Moor memorial garden. Then we will cheer the Clarets on.”Maria and Vincenzo’s son, Nicolò, had this to say: “In Italy when we say goodbye we say arrivederci but today let’s just keep it simple. This isn’t a goodbye forever let’s just say it’s a ‘Ciao for now’.”