The Pizza Catering School
CHEZ MARIO,
Instigator of the Lausanne Graffiti
To reach the Pizzeria, the first curious, attracted by the smell of well-cooked dough, must venture into a narrow corridor, climb dark stairs and reach a room whose walls are quickly filled with inscriptions in all languages: the famous graffiti, born under the impulse of the visitors of the place.
The story goes that during the first graffiti, the server wanted to charge for the damage caused! He would then have been retorted by Mario Colombini:
“Leave! If he put his own inscription on the wall, it's because he likes this place and wants to leave a mark. I really like this idea.”
SIGNOR MARIO,
THE PIZZA CATERING SCHOOL
13 years after the end of the Second World War, while everyone was still looking at their neighbor as a potential invader, Signor Azario "Mario" Colombini, originally from Tuscany, crossed the Alps to settle in Lausanne. In a bourgeois building on the prestigious Rue de Bourg, he opened a new kind of “gargote”: the first pizzeria in Switzerland.
At the time of the opening, the dough is purchased from a bakery located just below the restaurant. The pizzas are, then, only small pancakes and a big eater often ordered three in a row. Very quickly victim of his success, and to meet the demand, Mario decided to make his own pizza dough, according to a recipe that continues.
Azario "Mario" Colombini left Lausanne in the 1960s to replicate his experience in other cities, notably in Zurich, Baden and Bellinzona. In the capital of Vaud, after noticing the appeal of Italian cuisine, several of its employees set up on their own to open their own restaurant, some of which are still in operation.
Signor Mario died on September 8, 1993 in Lutry, in the heart of his new homeland which he particularly loved.
On this occasion, the French-speaking press paid a vibrant tribute to the man who was affectionately called "il padre" and who had largely deserved his letters of nobility.
A PLACE FOR ALL !
The first curious ones, for the majority of the students without the money or the workers who were not going never usually in a restaurant, were tasting, huddled against each other, the first Margherita at two francs or the Neapolitan at two francs fifty.
A cart of antipasti, made up of mushrooms, charcuterie or peppers circulated between the tables. With a growing reputation, the Pizzeria attracts more and more people and it is not uncommon to find yourself seated near famous personalities or families. Even before 3 years of existence, "Chez Mario" had already attracted celebrities such as Yul Brynner, Constantin of Greece, Prince Victor-Emmanuel of Savoy and many others. “Chez Mario” has thus become a multicultural place where everyone likes to meet. In short, we feel at home!
AN URBAN PATIO
Place difficult to access at first, "Chez Mario" is an address that is transmitted from one amateur to another, like an initiation rite including the essential passage in the tunnel, then the invitation to tags and finally the Italian flavors . Students, workers or illustrious families of the time gave way to their descendants who in turn passed it on to their friends, thus perpetuating the tradition of the oldest pizza houses. From the walls to the plate, through the service and the welcome, "Chez Mario" has always perpetuated the values of the "padre".
Since 2012, "Chez Mario" has been open to the outside through a patio overlooking a closed inner courtyard. Thanks to its ancestral wall, this exclusive place invites you on a culinary journey to the heart of Venice.
Here you can show up without a reservation, as we will always try to find you a table within minutes of your arrival!
"Chez Mario" continues to offer its walls to the inspiration of its fans.
And the story continues for you to draw it...
