Meet Marisol Doyle of Leña Pizza + Bagels
Get to know Marisol Doyle of Leña Pizza & Bagels. This chef serves up an award-winning place for community in the Mississippi Delta. Image: Rory Doyle
Originally from Ciudad Obregón in Mexico, Marisol Doyle has made a name for herself in the Mississippi Delta’s culinary scene. As the force behind Leña Pizza + Bagels, she’s bringing national recognition to Cleveland, Mississippi — earning praise from The New York Times as having one of the best pizza restaurants in the country. Get to know this week’s FACE of the South!
Tell us a bit about your background! What brought you to the Mississippi Delta?
It all really happened out of luck — from getting here to the community we’ve made. My husband, Rory Doyle, and I met in Arizona and got married in 2006. We were bouncing around, trying to find good jobs. We ended up moving to Mississippi (specifically, Cleveland) because Rory got a graduate assistantship at Delta State University. So, we packed up our little two-door car and drove from Phoenix to Cleveland without knowing what to expect. Back then, in 2009, all we had was whatever we could find on Google or the internet.
When we were settling in, I was trying to find a job. I started working in customer service, beginning at a local burger joint, Hey Joe’s Records & Café, and several other restaurants. I realized I was good at it and loved talking to people and making connections.
Since moving here, we’ve both grown so much. Personally, as a couple, and in our businesses — Rory as a photographer and me with Leña. This place has given us so much; honestly, we can’t see ourselves doing this anywhere else!
What inspired you to establish Leña?
In 2016, a friend and I started making bagels for fun at the local farmers’ market. That experience sparked my love for baking. It shifted my focus from being a server to working behind the scenes in the kitchen, experimenting with flavors and creating something new.
During the pandemic, we opened a small setup inside Meraki Roasting Co., a coffee shop in Clarksdale, Mississippi. We turned a part of their space into a commercial kitchen and ran it for a year. But then my friend and business partner had to move, and I had to shut it down because of the constant commute. I missed it and started looking for ways to do something similar here in Cleveland. Rory and I talked about it, but we weren’t sure if selling bagels alone would be feasible or profitable enough to sustain a business.
That’s when the idea of pizza came up! It made sense — it combined my love for baking with my passion for good food. I’ve always been a foodie. Wherever we go, I make it a point to find a great restaurant, have a good experience, and enjoy a quality meal. For me, it all connected — baking, customer service, and creating a welcoming space where people could enjoy a great meal. That’s how we got to Leña.
Where does the name Leña come from?
Leña means “firewood” in Spanish, which fits because our oven is a hybrid. It runs on both gas and wood. We use gas to get it up to temp, but we love cooking with wood. We want customers to see the fire and feel that experience. That connection to the oven, the fire, and the process is what drew us to this style of pizza in the first place.
What’s something people may not know about you and your business?
When we started considering bagels or pizza, Rory and I knew we loved Neapolitan-style pizza. So, we made a couple of trips to Naples, Italy — strictly for research, of course!
While there, we found a pizza school just outside the city and took a course in the summer of 2022. It was a hands-on experience inside a working pizzeria that opened for lunch and dinner. The training was intense; we learned everything from dough-making and flour types to shaping hundreds of dough balls and mastering the oven.
The heat was brutal — two ovens running in the summer with no AC — but we loved every second of it. Being surrounded by other passionate learners, we looked at each other and thought, “We can do this. We can bring this to Cleveland.”
Do you have a favorite pizza or bagel flavor?
My favorite bagel is jalapeño cheddar. It’s super cheesy, and the jalapeño adds just the right amount of flavor without being too spicy. I usually top it with cream cheese, tomatoes, capers, and onions — kind of like a smoked salmon bagel, just without the salmon. It’s my go-to snack.
For pizza, I have a few favorites. I love our pepperoni, which we call Pepper Rory (a nod to Rory), and I always add jalapeños for a little kick. Lately, though, I’ve been obsessed with a pizza one of our employees came up with. It starts with our bread and cheese — mozzarella, parmesan, roasted garlic, and olive oil — but I add bacon and red onions. After baking, I drizzle it with balsamic glaze, and it’s absolutely delicious. Plus, if I have leftovers, I eat them for breakfast the next day with a fried egg on top!
What’s the best advice you’ve received, and from whom?
Being in the pizza community for so long, I used to struggle with imposter syndrome. When we visited my family in Arizona, we went to Pizzeria Bianco, where I got to meet Chris Bianco — a giant in the industry and someone I’ve admired for years. I told him about our restaurant, and his advice stuck with me: “You should do you. Don’t try to be someone else or follow trends — just do what works best for you, and you’ll be fine.”
That really resonated, especially in the age of social media, where so many pizza makers and restaurateurs chase trends just for Instagram. It’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough. But here, I’m focused on what’s best for Leña, our team, and our customers.
Aside from faith, family, and friends, name three things you can’t live without.
Avocados (I love them!), my phone (for better or worse), and cozy pajamas.
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Bucket list vacation? Spending the summer in Italy, traveling to the different areas I haven’t been to yet.
Favorite recent read? I’m in a book club, and we recently read and loved The Women by Kristin Hannah.
What is your favorite Delta “hidden gem?” The Great River Road State Park in Rosedale, Mississippi, where you can walk alongside the Mighty Mississippi and be in nature. It’s very peaceful.
Aside from bagels, what is your favorite pastry? Croissants. Specifically, a warmed-up chocolate croissant!
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Anne Marie Hanna
An Ole Miss alum residing in Nashville, Anne Marie is passionate about telling the stories shaping the South. Outside of work, you’ll likely find her on a porch with a coffee and a good book, gardening, listening to music, or enjoying time with friends and family.