ORO Baking Pizzas: A local oven and a steady rise

Some stories don’t begin with a decision. They build quietly over time, through routine, memory, and the kind of work you grow up around without thinking twice about it.

Growing up around the oven

For Mathson Solomon Miranda, baking was never a sudden interest. It was always there. In the background of his childhood in Aldona, in the hours spent around his father’s wood-fired bakery, in the small ways he and his family pitched in without being asked.

“I grew up in my dad’s bakery,” he says. “So for me, it never felt new. It was just part of life.”

Culinary school to global kitchens

That familiarity stayed, but his path didn’t move in a straight line. He completed his 11th and 12th in Catering & Restaurant Management (CRM) at St Thomas Higher Secondary School in Aldona, followed by a Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts in Hyderabad. Work took him to a cruise line, and later to the United States, where he spent two years in the baking department at Hyatt Regency in New Orleans.

It was the kind of exposure many young chefs aim for. But just as he was figuring out his next move, things shifted.

“I was planning to move to another country,” he says. “Then COVID happened, and everything stopped.”

Returning home with purpose

Back home, he returned to the bakery, this time not as someone helping out, but as someone taking responsibility. Around the same time, he began working with The Owl House, a neurodiverse café in Aldona, as a café manager and trainer.

“I was handling everything from training, menu planning, and costing,” he says. “But more than that, it was about working with the students.”

A kitchen with inclusion

That experience became a turning point. It changed how he thought about kitchens, not just as places that serve food, but as spaces that can include, teach, and open doors.

So when the idea of starting something of his own came back to him, he knew it had to carry that forward.

ORO Baking Pizzas now runs out of The Owl House itself, and the students are part of the process.

“They’re involved in making sauces, learning how the dough works,” he says. “If someone new comes in, they learn from the others. That’s how we’ve built it.”

The story behind ‘ORO’

The name “ORO” comes from a place he worked at in the US.

“It means gold in Italian and Spanish,” he says. “I liked that. The idea of getting the crust right, getting that colour. That’s always in my head when I bake.”

Unexpected turn to pizza

Interestingly, pizza wasn’t something he set out to specialise in.

“I don’t even eat pizza that much, but I love making and exploring new flavours," he says.

At home, it started as something informal. With a big family and access to ingredients, pizza-making became a shared activity of trying out dough, experimenting with toppings, and even turning it into small competitions.

“That’s where it really started,” he says. “We’d just make it for ourselves and enjoy the process.”

Testing the idea

Before opening his own setup, he tested his work through local pop-ups, especially 'Celebrating Aldona', an initiative by the Facebook page 'Aldona Matters', that supports local talent.

“I started with a very small oven,” he says. “It could only do one pizza at a time. People had to wait 20 or 30 minutes sometimes. But they still waited.”

That response stayed with him. It told him there was space to do this seriously.

A deliberate process

Today, his process is slow and deliberate. The dough is fermented for 24 to 36 hours. Sauces are made in-house, often with the students he trains. Ingredients are sourced fresh, usually the same day.

And everything goes through a wood-fired oven.

“I was introduced to wood-fired baking early on,” he says. “Once you understand it, you don’t want to switch. It changes the whole texture and flavour.”

The LPG shortages

At a time when many restaurants have had to deal with LPG shortages, that choice has quietly worked in his favour.

“I don’t know if people are coming because of that,” he says. “But yes, as of now, I don’t feel the impact of the LPG shortage, as it’s a deliberate choice, and many people love the smoky flavour, which feels more authentic. Over time, if LPG shortages continue, I’m sure there will be more customers than usual.”

Growing demand

He’s just two months into running ORO Baking Pizzas, but the response has been steady. Word has spread, and he’s been getting requests for pop-ups and events. To keep up, he’s added a smaller, portable oven that allows him to take his pizzas to house parties and gatherings.

“You have to be flexible,” he says. “You can’t just wait for people to come to you.”

Menu favourites

On the menu, a few clear favourites have emerged. The Herb Garlic Mushroom stands out for its flavour, while the Fiery Paneer Crust has built its own following. The Double Cheese Pizza remains the most popular overall. On the non-vegetarian side, the Spicy Blast, with bird’s eye chilli, adds a sharper edge.

Learning on the go

But for Mathson, the focus isn’t just on what’s selling. It’s on what he’s learning as he goes.

“In these two months, I’ve learned a lot,” he says. “Sometimes I feel like I should have started earlier.”

Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

That thought shapes the advice he gives others, especially young people looking to start something of their own.

“Don’t wait too long thinking everything has to be perfect,” he says. “Start small. You’ll figure things out as you go.”

He’s also clear about where that journey should begin.

“If you’re starting in a place like this, your locals matter the most,” he says. “If they support you, everything else builds from there.”

What lies ahead…

Right now, he’s working on adding small sides to the menu and figuring out staffing, something he admits is still a challenge, especially with the kind of hands-on skill his kitchen requires.

Even so, there’s a certain steadiness in how he talks about what lies ahead. No rush, no overpromising, just a clear sense of direction.

ORO Baking Pizzas doesn’t feel like a sudden success story. It feels like something that has taken its time, shaped by years of experience, pauses that forced a reset, and a decision to build something that stays connected to where it started. And in a quiet corner of Aldona, that work continues.