FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is Cristano’s a franchise? Cristano’s Take-n-Bake Pizza is a local family owned business and is not a franchise (yet?). We use our own family recipe for Cristano’s pizza sauce; you won’t find it anywhere else.
Where are you located? (I’ve never heard of Ferndale Rd.) We are located in the heart of Elkhart County’s shopping area, in Dunlap between the Target/Kohl’s plaza and the Meijer store, right next to the IHOP restaurant. (Ferndale Rd. is C.R. 15 in the city limits) Check out the HOME page for a map of our location.
What are your hours of operation? Our hours of operation are;
M-Thur 11am to 8pm, Fri-Sat 11am to 9pm, Sun 12 noon to 6pm
Why would I want to bake the pizza myself, why not just pick up an already baked pizza? Two words; Convenience and Flavor.........Convenience because take-n-bake is pizza on your schedule. Pick one up while you’re out shopping during the day and serve a hot fresh pizza tonight (keeps for up to 24 hours in the fridge). No need for a trip back to the pizzeria later. And no more hoping the delivery guy gets there soon so you can eat. Cristano’s pizza is ready when you are. Flavor because Cristano’s Take-n-Bake Pizza is made from fresh ingredients just like the best pizzerias, but our pizza goes right from the oven to your table when you’re ready to eat. Unlike typical take-out pizza that’s cold by the time you get home, you’ll have to wait for a Cristano’s pizza to cool down before you can eat it!
Can I really get a great tasting pizza baked in my own oven? The answer is absolutely! We’ve probably all tried frozen pizza from the grocery store, and some of it was OK, but… just not great. Or maybe you picked up a “take and bake” pizza at the deli. Did you know that often those are shipped to the store frozen and thawed before being placed in the deli case? Our pizzas are never frozen and are made from the freshest ingredients possible to give you the closest thing you’ll get to pizzeria pizza right from your own oven.
Is it difficult to bake the pizza at home? It couldn’t be much easier. Unwrap the pizza and, when your oven is preheated, set the pizza on the middle rack of your oven (leave it right on the pan we provided). In 10-12 minutes you have hot, fresh pizza that’s ready to eat. We’ll give you complete instructions when you pick up your pizza.
Can I really bake the pizza on the paper pan it comes on? The tray we build your pizza on is a specially created tray, made to give the pizza a nice crispy brown crust. It is designed to be used in a home oven and can be place directly on the oven rack. You do, however, want to make sure the tray does not touch the walls of the oven.
Are there any special considerations when baking the pizza? Because home ovens may or may not be accurate we do recommend that the first time you bake a Cristano’s pizza you pay special attention to the bottom of the crust. As stated above the tray your pizza comes on is designed to get the crust crispy and brown. A hot oven will cause the crust to brown too quickly. If you see this happening turn the oven temperature down and use a lower temperature setting on your oven from then on. And again, make sure the paper tray does not touch the oven walls.
Do you have anything other than pizza? At this time we also have Italian and Cheesy Bread sticks, which are also take-n-bake. We are working on a few other tasty dishes that will be introduced as soon as they are ready.
How many bread sticks come in an order? Our bread sticks come on a 12” pan, the same pan as our medium pizzas. There are about 16 pieces on a pan but some pieces are smaller than others since they are straight “sticks” on a round pan.
What’s the difference between Italian Bread sticks and Cheesy Bread sticks? Both begin with a soft yeast dough spread with garlic butter, the difference is the Italian Breads ticks are sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese while the Cheesy Bread sticks are topped with mozzarella cheese. Both come with your choice of nacho cheese, marinara, or garlic butter sauce for dipping.
Can I call in my order? Orders can be called in to (574) 875-4224. We particularly encourage larger orders being called in. You can find a copy of our menu on the MENU page.
Do I have to bake the pizza right away? Our pizzas can be safely kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
Can I bake pizza and breadsticks at the same time? Our bread sticks bake at 400o while pizza is baked at 450o. We recommend the breadsticks be baked first so they can be enjoyed while the pizza bakes. Just don’t eat too many bread sticks or you won’t have room for pizza!