It was the water that was the problem.

Thomas Quijada and his cousins and fellow New York State expatriates Tino Duarte and Marlon Salazar were trying to make New York-style pizza crust in Huntsville, Alabama.

New York’s unusually soft tap-water, which can impart a saltier taste and strengthen the gluten in dough, if oft-cited as the X factor why replicating NY’s famed pizza and bagels elsewhere is elusive.

“The water in New York is very different from the water down here,” Quijada says. “It changes the flavor.”

After living in Huntsville for around six years, Quijada, formerly a manager at City Café Diner here, saw a void of authentic New York pizza in this market. He convinced his cousins and fellow former New York State residents Duarte and Salazar to move to Huntsville and go in on a pizzeria.

About a year ago, the three men took over ownership of Mozza Pizza, a restaurant that had been open for around six years in Athens, about a 40-minute drive from Huntsville. At that Athens location, 202 S. Jefferson St., they changed the dough recipe around 10 times before achieving an authentic New York crust. Thin and foldable. Chewy yet delicately crispy in the right places.

Duarte had previously made pizzas for a decade and half for Harrison, N.Y., eatery Pizza 2000. His hack for getting a New York crust. with Alabama water? Quijada says, “When he [Duarte] was doing the dough, for the water problem that we had, the only solution we found is the temperature on it. He changed the temperature on the water many times to get to the right temperature for that.”

But there are other tricks to manifesting Empire State of pie. Quijada says the right brand of flour and making the dough and sauce from scratch is essential. Also, “The fermentation time,” Quijada says, “you gotta have at least 24 to 48 hours for the dough [to proof].”

This year, a couple months or so ago, the cousins opened a second Mozza Pizza location, this time in Huntsville at 520 Jordan Lane N.W. The Athens restaurant is largely buffet oriented. Their Huntsville spot does by-the-slice and made-to-order sales, the quintessential New York pizzeria business model.

“We wanted it to be like New York,” Quijada says of a by-the-slice option. “If you’re by yourself or on your lunch break, you can go get a bite real quick. It’s done really quick. Pizza by the slice is a big thing.”

To avoid heating-lamp sag and wilt, the slices are put back in Mozza’s gas-powered stone oven before they’re served. And voila, the cheese gooeyness and crust crispiness are just like new.

Mozza’s slices aren’t slivers, either. They’re from the restaurant’s “Big Boy” 20- to 22-inch pizzas (approximately the width of two basketballs), sliced into eight pieces. One to two slices should satisfy the appetite of most land mammals. In the counter display case, there are a few different pizza styles to pick your slice(s) from.

The first time I tried Mozza’s, did a couple slices. Pepperoni, and pepperoni and sausage. Eating them was the best part of my day.

My second visit, we did a 16-inch pie with pepperoni and sausage. (Available crust sizes are 10, 12, 14, 16 and aforementioned “Big Boy.”) Spectacular pizza without being showy.

If I picture an ideal pizza specimen in my mind, it tastes and looks like this. Cheesy, savory, bendy. Tangy sauce that supports without stepping on the quality toppings like the hearty, peppery Italian sausage. If this was a woman instead of pizza, I’d ask it to marry me.

There are some strong locally-owned options to get pizza in Huntsville. But in more than 11 years of covering the city’s restaurants, I haven’t had a pizza from anywhere else here that can top Mozza’s. Uh huh, that good.

The two times I’ve eaten at Mozza’s, there have been plenty of places to park out front. But slowly and steadily, the buzz for Mozza’s Pizza is growing. Read the comments on Mozza’s Facebook page and you’ll see some effusive endorsements from New York/Northern transplants stoked to finally be able to get a legit New York pizza in Huntsville. “It’s very exciting to get that feedback,” Quijada says.

Mozza’s business name is short for “mozzarella,” and that’s their cheese of choice here. Specifically, Roma-brand part-skim mozzarella. The pizza here doesn’t need gadgetry or gimmicks. Just one or a few classic-style topping will light your tastebuds up like Clark Griswold’s exterior illumination. That said, they have a long list of specialty pizza plays you can make.

Quijada says, “We have a loaded potato pizza that everybody loves. “There’s a lasagna pizza, that’s something that nobody else offers. We also have Philly cheesesteak pizza. A fajita special. It sounds weird to have eggs on a pizza, but we have a breakfast pizza people love whenever they try it.”

Mozza’s foundation is firmly in New York-style thin crust. They also offer Sicilian-style for thick-crust enthusiasts, and Duarte can do deep-dish pizzas, too. Asked how he and Duarte split up roles at Mozza, Quijada says with one of his frequent smiles, “He makes the pizzas and I make sure they taste good.”

When Mozza’s first opened their Huntsville location, they eased in with little fanfare or advertising. They’re located in Preston Plaza, a shopping center also home to a barber, thrift store and international grocery. On the other side of the parking lot, there’s MK Wings, a standout local chicken joint.

Mozza’s is housed in a space formerly home to a taqueria. Inside the pizzeria, it’s bare bones and utilitarian. Checkered tablecloths. A couple TVs. Soon they’re adding a full bar and eventually, in the space next door, a breakfast and steamtable lunch component.

The menu prices don’t need to offset bougie décor or glitzy ingredients, so Mozza’s prices are more than fair. “We’re not trying to be a high-end restaurant,” Quijada says. “We’re trying to be what a pizzeria is supposed to be, which is for middle class people, all ages. We try to bring back what pizza is supposed to be, you know? It’s supposed to be about families, being happy or a little prize after a bad day.”

The word “pizza” is part of Mozza’s name. You can get other stuff if you want, though. Calzones, calamari, strombolis, spaghetti and meatballs, baked ziti, cannoli, etc. You can see the full menu online at bit.ly/mozzapizza.

So how did three dudes with Guatemalan roots become Italian food “made men”? Quijada laughs and then says, “It’s just the way I grew up. I love Italian food.” Quijada’s mom Irma made a lot of Italian dishes, like lasagna and meatballs, at home. In Guatemala, their family owns a chain of restaurants that are a combination of pizzeria and diner.

“My original plan was to open a pizzeria with her in Guatemala,” says Quijada, who was born in New York. “Unfortunately, when I was about to open, my mom was kidnapped over there, and she didn’t make it out of that. After that, I got very discouraged about Guatemala. But I promised my mom that I would open a pizzeria one day, and it was always her dream and my dream. And here I am, living the dream.”

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