Caroline D’Amore Is the OG Pizza Girl
Pretty much everybody with a pulse loves pizza, but Caroline D’Amore has pizza in her blood.
Not literally. That would be problematic.
But growing up, her father owned D’Amore’s Pizza, an iconic pizzeria in California beloved by the Kardashians, Lindsay Lohan and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — among others.
And now, Caroline owns D’Amore’s with her husband, but that’s only a slice of what she gets up to!
We talked to Caroline about her new reality show, what it’s like to be be one the original female DJs, and that hot cheesy pie called za.
Maria Pasquini: What do you think of pizza girls?
Caroline D’Amore: I think it’s awesome! Growing up in a pizza family was always cool, every birthday party was a pizza party. And you know my father worked so hard to bring the best pizza to LA, and now my husband and I want to continue his legacy because he is starting to wind down.
MP: Yeah, how did you and your husband become the bosses?
C: It happened pretty organically. I found out that my dad was going to possibly sell it to somebody else and I was like ‘Absolutely not, I’m gonna do it.’ He thought I was insane. He was like “You’re crazy, you are a DJ and you are an artist. Why would you even want to do this?” For me, in the beginning it was more about preserving my father’s legacy, and now I’m so obsessed because we do have hands down the best pizza in all of LA and probably even California.
MP: And it’s healthy too, right?
C: It is actually! Because of the flour, it’s just naturally way low in gluten. Our pizza itself is really low in fat and we only use the best ingredients. You can eat an entire pizza, literally, and not walk out feeling like crap.
MP: Do you ever get tired of pizza?
C: No, I never get tired of pizza and I’ve probably had more pizza than anybody on the planet.
MP: What’s a normal reaction when people find out that you’re a DJ and you’re going out all the time, but you’re also a mother?
C: I’ll be at the park with my daughter and all the other mothers will want to talk to me, and then as soon as they find out what I do, they almost retreat to the other side of the park. I definitely get looked down on from time to time, and other moms assume that I’m not the type of mom they want to hang with.
M: How did you get into DJing?
C: I was one of the first girls in La to be a DJ! I was doing it way before it became the super cool thing to do.
I actually got made fun of for DJing by some of my friends who are now DJs.
Anyway, I was acting and a director I had worked with called me and said he needed female DJs for this live show he was doing. I just flat out said “Oh, I’m a DJ,” even though I had never done it a day in my life.
M: What do you think now that ever hot girl is being a DJ?
C: Hey, listen, more power to them! I don’t hate on anybody who has a love for music. It’s not easy, it’s hard work and I think that a lot of girls will get that first job because they are young and cute. Everybody can get that first gig, but are you going to get that career? It depends on how hard you work.
M: Did you experience any sexism, being a woman in a bro-dominated field?
C: Are you kidding me?! I had guys in the DJ booth staring at my every move making sure I wasn’t using a CD.Now, i’m just laughing all the way to the bank when these guys are being dicks! I know I’m a great DJ. I continue to work at the same venues and I’m care free. If you don’t have haters, you’re doing something wrong.
M: What’s new for you this year? What’s coming up?
C: I just finished a song called “Love Somebody” [and] I’m hoping this reality TV show I shot a pilot for gets picked up, so you might see me fighting with other people on television, which would be rad.
M: Are you nervous about the prospect of being on a reality show?
C: Completely terrified!! But truthfully, you can be social media famous, but there’s nothing that competes with the platform that television can give you. I did go back and forth in my head, trying to decide if it was ok, especially having a daughter but I think it will be ok.
M: Would your daughter be on the show at all?
C: Yea she would. That was part of the deal. My husbands dragged into it too! It will be interesting for sure. The title is “ Hot Moms of LA”
M: There are worse labels!
C: I mean the hot part is like…. alright. But I’m def an LA mom!
For more Caroline D’Amore, follower her on Instagram, check out her latest track on iTunes, and if you’re in LA, check out D’Amore’s Pizza for the best slice in all of California.
Photos by Amber Asaly.
