Marc Marrone’s Graffiti Bao Now Hosts His Square Pizzas for Takeout and Delivery

The busiest chef in Las Vegas adds another cuisine to his ever-growing collection of restaurants when he starts serving pizza out of one of his restaurants on August 6. Marc Marrone, who has Graffiti Bao with Chinese-influenced dishes in the southwest, plans to launch Gemma’s Gemmas with square pizzas for takeout and delivery out of the restaurant.

Marrone says the most expensive item on the Graffiti Bao menu rings in at $12, and his pizzas will follow suit. Marrone says he’s been working on square pizzas for a while and wanted to offer something.

“Nothing’s really off the table now. I don’t know what’s gonna happen but I have to think that there’s some looming rollback or scale down or shut down,” Marrone says, referring to the potential for restaurants to close again to curb the spread of COVID-19. “Either way, it’s gonna get a little hairy again. I think we all know that so I’m trying to provide other outlets.”

That means keeping his staff employed and serving difficult-to-find dishes in the southwest neighborhood just north of Mountain’s Edge.

His three signature pies cost $6 or less, smothered in combinations such as vodka sauce, red onion, and pepperoni; Italian sausage, peppers, onions, and oregano; or white sauce, rosemary, red onions, pistachio, and honey. Marrone also offers custom square pies that use a three-day fermented pizza dough baked in iron pans to create the light and crispy crust.

Marc Marrone/Facebook

Also on the menu, Italian torpedos, which include a pork roast sandwich with broccolini and hot beef with Italian peppers. A short list of appetizers include a chop salad, mozzarella sticks, garlic Parmesan wings and garlic mozzarella bread.

Marrone named the project for his grandmother, whose middle name was Gemma. Anita Marrone chose Gemma as her confirmation name as well, so technically her name includes Gemma twice.

“It was such a funny story and a cool name,” Marrone says. “She was the one that got me really into cooking.”

The logo for the restaurant is an ode to his father. Marrone made pizzas with him as a kid.

Gemma’s Gemmas starts taking pre-orders online on Tuesday for Thursday pickup.

Marrone is also a partner in Locale Italian Kitchen, a post he took in April, and Egg Sammie, the breakfast sandwich specialist.

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