Melrose Place 3051

“There’s no real secret to our pizza,” laughs Christian Lale-Demoz, of Melrose Place 3051. “We just don’t use shortcuts. We take the time for the dough to rise for three days; we add fresh ingredients; and we cook our pizzas in an incredibly hot oven for just the right amount of time.”

Walk into this hole-in-the-wall pizzeria in North Melbourne, and your senses will be enveloped by the enticing scent of freshly baked Neapolitan pizza coming out of the store’s centrepiece - a wood-fired oven built by a local Italian maker in Reservoir.

The story of this pizzeria unfolds with many twists and turns – a narrative of resilience, mentorship and the pursuit of excellence.

Christian and his partner, Cedrine, are the owners of Melrose Place 3051. While they share Filipino heritage, their culinary influences extend far beyond their roots.

As a baby, Christian was adopted by a Swiss-French man and his Australian wife and he grew up immersed in the world of fine dining while his parents ran three-hatted restaurants.

But he never thought hospitality was for him - instead working in legal offices, business management and construction.

“I injured myself quite badly working in construction, and while laid up I decided to buy a coffee cart. One coffee cart turned into two coffee carts, and one day I was working at a market and someone was selling their mobile pizza oven. I thought ‘why not?’ and we ended up with a pizza oven trailer outside our house,” laughs Christian.

Christian started testing his dough and practising making pizzas in his driveway, giving away food for free to his neighbours. His generosity became one of the local feel-good stories of the COVID pandemic.

Christian's final initiation into the art of Neapolitan pizza came through Frank, an Italian chef who would become a mentor. Frank used to hire Christian’s mobile pizza oven for his restaurant, and he introduced Christian further into the secrets of crafting the perfect Neapolitan pizza.

"I wanted some more practice and so I worked in Frank’s restaurant," Christian reminisces. "That’s when I decided that creating a business around Neapolitan pizza was going to be my future.'"

This decision marked a pivotal moment in Christian and Cedrine’s lives. As demand for their pizza event catering took off, they invested in more trailers and ovens, until they ran out of space to store all of their equipment and ingredients.

“At first I was just looking for a local storage space, but then I thought why not put a takeaway store at the front of the premises? That way I could use it as a training ground for staff to work at our events, and make pizza for my local community.”

Melrose Place 3051 opened in January 2023 and predominantly focuses on takeaway trade (including catering to guests at Twang Brewery a few doors down) as well as delivering pizzas through Uber Eats. They also scoop gelato made by local gelateria Oh My Gelato.

If you do choose to eat-in you may notice the collection of antique toys displayed within the store. These are reminders of Christian’s parents' Australian Toy Museum, which they once ran in Smith Street, Collingwood. The table tops also come from the former museum, adding an unexpected layer of nostalgia to the pizzeria.

So if you’re wanting to experience the essence of Neapolitan pizza in North Melbourne, unassuming Melrose Place 3051 is the spot where you’ll find delicious food made with passion.

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna Encio