- A taste of Italy in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Leña is the Spanish word for firewood, and the woodfired pizzas at Leña in Cleveland, Mississippi have fans traveling from far and wide to sample a taste of Napoli in the Mississippi Delta.
Marisol Doyle, a native of Mexico, is a Delta transplant who moved to Cleveland with her photographer husband, Rory Doyle, from Phoenix in 2009 when Rory, originally from Maine, received a graduate assistantship at Delta State.
Dreaming of having a business that would benefit the community, Marisol and her friend, Kate Gluckman, began making bagels in 2026 to sell at the Cleveland Farmer’s Market.
Wanting to do more, Marisol traveled to Napoli, Italy and studied at the Associazione Cerace Pizza Napoletana before working in Scuola di Pizzaiolo outside Naples. She had worked in the restaurant industry for twenty years, and it was time for her to open a brick-and-mortar establishment to call her own.
Marisol and Rory established Leña Pizza and Bagel in 2023. They opened a pizzeria and bagel shop not far off historic Highway 61 on the main drag in Cleveland at 331 Cotton Row. A short walk from the Cotton House Hotel, Leña has become a favorite stop for travelers, as well as locals.
Leña is unpretentious and comfortable. Everyone is welcomed. Large windows facing the street let in plenty of sunlight during the day. Small tables line the walls on either side, and the counter is located in the back, creating an intimate atmosphere. Customers place their order and find a seat, waiting for their custom-made meal to be delivered to their table. A large brick oven brought over from Italy dominates the back corner of the kitchen.
Rory admits he had limited cooking skills before meeting Marisol, and he was raised mostly on frozen pizza. As a matter of fact, his comfort food has always been pepperoni pizza. When he’s not on assignment as an independent photojournalist, Rory can be found in front of the pizza oven, spinning pies. He also handles all the product shots (including all the photos in this article) for the restaurant and manages their social media presence.
With a mission to share food that is hand-made and heartfelt, Leña has been recognized far beyond the borders of Cleveland. It was named one of the Top 22 Pizzerias in the United States by the New York Times, which included pizzerias from the Pacific Northwest to the Southern tip of California. According to the June 26, 2024 New York Times report, “the pizza at Leña collapses the distance between Naples, Italy, where Marisol Doyle, the restaurant’s chef and co-owner, studied pizza making; the Mississippi Delta, her adopted home; and Sonora, Mexico, where she was born and raised.”
Marisol uses traditional proofing practices with her pizza dough and bagels, and she strives for memorable flavor combinations. The restaurant’s menu changes weekly according to what ingredients are fresh and available.
