Victor Melchor didn’t just wake up one day with an award-winning pizza trailer. He spent years watching beautiful, stone wood-fired ovens in Malibu backyards sit cold, used as nothing more than ”decoration.” He was the one who finally started lighting the fires.

In this episode of The Pizza Story, I’m sitting down with the man who turned a Malibu grocery store deli job into Woodstock Farina, Ventura County’s 2025 Best Caterer. Victor’s journey is pure hustle. From migrating from Oaxaca, Mexico, at age two to learning the ”sponge” mentality of the culinary world, he has built a brand that refuses to compromise on quality.

We’re diving deep into his ”inner soul on a plate” philosophy. We talk about the grit of those early days where he didn't even sell 10 pizzas, and the grace of winning a major competition with his grandmother's secret Chicken Mole recipe. Victor also shares the ”mystery shopper” encounter that proved why treating every customer like a VIP is the only marketing a pop-up truly needs.

♥️ Inside this Episode

The Deli Foundation: How Victor used a grocery store ”show oven” to design a concept that outperformed the hot bar and panini station combined.

Malibu Connections: Building a network of private chefs and poker night clients by being the person who said, ”If you need a pair of hands, let me know.”

The Oaxaca Influence: Why the smoke and ash of a wood-fired oven remind him of his roots and how he fuses Mexican chilaquiles and mole with sourdough.

The ”Mystery” Wedding: The incredible story of a client who tested his service anonymously before dropping a deposit on the spot.

Freedom of the Road: Why Victor prefers the ”roaming” life over a brick-and-mortar lease (and why he’s not ready to give up the freeway wave).

📍 Episode Highlights

✅ 0:00 – Victor’s Story: From Oaxaca to the streets of Ventura County.

✅ 1:12 – The Entrepreneurial Way of Life: Watching family make it from nothing.

✅ 2:32 – The ”Decoration” Ovens: Lighting the first fires in Malibu backyards.

✅ 4:51 – Networking at the Grocery Store: Meeting Wolfgang Puck’s original crew.

✅ 7:28 – The Smoked Element: Why wood-fire is the soul of Oaxacan cuisine.

✅ 10:11 – Custom Menus: ”Let's build a pizza unique for you.”

✅ 11:39 – The ”Nard” and the Maestro: Breaking down Victor's signature menu.

✅ 13:34 – Grandma’s Chicken Mole: Taking 2nd place with a family secret.

✅ 17:21 – If it isn't perfect, I won't serve it: The standard of a true maker.

✅ 20:23 – The Mystery Shopper: The story that settled a wedding deposit on the street.

✅ 23:06 – Freedom on the Freeway: Why a brick-and-mortar isn't the goal yet.

✅25:24 – Asking the ”OGs”: The true feedback on opening a restaurant.

✅ 27:05 – Victor’s advice for everyone trying to make pizza their life.

🔗 Connect

🍕 Follow Woodstock Farina: @woodstock_farina

🎧 About the Podcast 

The Pizza Story Podcast is where I sit down with the makers behind your favorite pizza who are betting on themselves and their craft. This isn't just a show about food; it’s about the grit it takes to build a brand from the ground up and the grace of holding a community together, one slice at a time 🇮🇹. 

Website: https://www.astoryaboutpizza.com/ 

Substack: https://substack.com/@astoryaboutpizza 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astoryaboutpizza/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@storyaboutpizza 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AStoryAboutPizza 

A Story About Pizza Book: https://www.amazon.com/Story-About-Pizza-Erica-DArcangelo/dp/1917116993 

Pietro’s Pizza Children’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Pietros-Pizza-Story-About/dp/B0DTYZ15WB/ 

Pietro’s Pizza Toppings Children’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJM15W22/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

Pietro’s Italian Christmas: https://www.amazon.com/Pietros-Italian-Christmas-Erica-DArcangelo/dp/B0G2GQX78W/ 

#pizza #podcast #ca #california #oxnard