How SLO pizza chef branched out to create his own authentic Italian focaccia

Anna Armstrong
·3 min read

Antonio Maragliotti moved to the Central Coast from Italy eight years ago to work as the chef at the Flour House in downtown San Luis Obispo.

Now, the Italian-born chef has opened La Teglia — a new business specializing in producing authentic Italian focaccia.

As a hobby, Maragliotti spent much of his time making focaccia for himself and his friends, occasionally selling it at local wineries. Then, he realized it could be its own business.

Antonio Maragliotti, who learned to cook in Italy and brought his skills to the Central Coast eight years ago, has opened La Teglia, a new business specializing in producing authentic Italian focaccia. Courtesy of Antonio Maragliotti
Antonio Maragliotti, who learned to cook in Italy and brought his skills to the Central Coast eight years ago, has opened La Teglia, a new business specializing in producing authentic Italian focaccia. Courtesy of Antonio Maragliotti

Maragliotti currently sells his focaccia to local delis and restaurants around the Central Coast, including Kona’s Deli in San Luis Obispo, Sando’s Deli in Pismo Beach and Perfetto Cafe in Grover Beach.

For Maragliotti, the time he spends making each focaccia is important to him.

“You can speed up the process, but I don’t,” Maragliotti said. “I give each product a lot of time to make sure its good.”

How chef moved from Italy to San Luis Obispo

Maragliotti was born and raised in a small town in Italy, where he attended school to become a pizza chef.

When his friends opened Flour House, he moved here to be the chef.

Since then, Maragliotti’s pizzas have garnered both regional and national recognition for their high quality and authenticity.

50 Top Pizza, an Italian website, ranked Flour House’s pizza among the best in the entire United States.

“The pizza dough is particularly good, well leavened and traditional,” the website reads. “The toppings are made with certified Italian produce, a real luxury!”

La Teglia, the name of his new business, translates from Italian to English as pizza in the pan or by the sheet.

His focaccia recipe is traditional, using simple ingredients like flour, salt and olive oil.

Antonio Maragliotti, who learned to cook in Italy and brought his skills to the Central Coast eight years ago, has opened La Teglia, a new business specializing in producing authentic Italian focaccia. Courtesy of Antonio Maragliotti
Antonio Maragliotti, who learned to cook in Italy and brought his skills to the Central Coast eight years ago, has opened La Teglia, a new business specializing in producing authentic Italian focaccia. Courtesy of Antonio Maragliotti

What’s next for Maragliotti and La Teglia

Currently, Maragliotti runs La Teglia on his own — making the focaccia, selling it to businesses and completing deliveries himself.

His dedication to his craft is evident. During his interview with The Tribune, Maragliotti was en route to deliver his focaccia to a local business.

Though Maragliotti hopes to eventually grow his focaccia business and hire staff, his goals for the business doesn’t stop there.

His dream is to someday expand La Teglia and turn it into an authentic Italian restaurant serving up “basic but well-done” traditional recipes to the Central Coast.

The region has a lack of authentic Italian cuisine, Maragliotti said, adding that many of the Italian options in the area are very Americanized.

“I love it here,” Maragliotti said. “My goal is to open a restaurant in the future and keep following the Italian tradition.“