Nestled in the historic Cotton Row in Cleveland, MS, is an award-winning wood-fired restaurant, Leña Pizza + Bagels. Founded in 2023 by world-renowned chef Marisol Doyle and her husband, Rory, Leña is widely recognized for its exceptional wood-fired pizzas and was named one of the Top 22 Pizzerias in the United States by the New York Times and has been listed as a top pizzeria in the South and the U.S. by 50 Top Pizza and Southern Living. But Marisol began her culinary journey in Cleveland with fresh bagels.
“We started doing bagels in 2016, and we did it at the farmer’s market for about five years,” shared Marisol Doyle. “It was actually Rory who instilled the idea just to try something different, try pizza.”
When the Doyles want to try something new, they go straight to the source for the best ingredients and techniques and bring it all back to Mississippi.
“I watched Marisol work so fast and efficiently, making bagels,” explained Rory Doyle. “And we thought, well, let’s go to Italy and learn pizza, another different type of dough from bagel dough. And of course, they pair really well together, serving bagels in the morning, on Saturday mornings, and then pizza for dinner.”
The Doyles understood that pizza was already popular, but aspired to bring a different style of pie to the Mississippi Delta.
“We wanted to bring this style, Neapolitan, tracing its roots to Naples, Italy, and bring that to the Delta. And that was the goal,” shared Rory Doyle.
Neapolitan pizza is a traditional Italian style that features a thin, soft, and chewy center with a thick, puffy crust. Lena’s has an oak-fired oven that reaches blistering temperatures (around 800F). Their dough undergoes a 48-hour fermentation. The pizza menu highlights Marisol’s heritage with a blend of Neapolitan, Mexican, and Southern Delta culinary traditions.
When the Doyles first started offering pizzas, they hosted pop-ups in the community. On social media, a post would be shared with the time and location, and people would line up. People are still showing up and lining up at their brick-and-mortar, Leña Pizza + Bagels. And the world has taken notice of Marisol’s skills as a pizzaiolo, which translates to “pizza chef” or “pizza maker” in Italian.
Chef Marisol Doyle was officially ranked No. 48 on the Top Pizza Chefs in the World list at the global Best Pizza Awards in Milan, Italy. She was also named the 2026 Pizza Maker of the Year by the 50 Top Pizza awards.
When asked about being recognized for her culinary talents, Marisol responded, “It’s a very surreal feeling, especially just being at the ceremony and seeing all the amazing pizza chefs that we follow and we look up to. And they’ve been doing it for so long, some of them since they were like 10 or 15 years old. So, being on that list is just surreal. But we’re thankful to be among those people who work really hard and are making a name for themselves.”
Marisol Doyle grew up in Sonora, Mexico, where food and family gatherings were ingrained in the culture. She studied traditional pizza-making in Naples, Italy, with the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. And she and her husband continue to call Cleveland, MS, home, serving up exceptional pizza, bagels, and more. The Doyles invite everyone to come experience Cleveland and, of course, pizza and bagels,too.
“We tell people who want to come and try us to come on a Friday night, and have pizza, stay at a hotel downtown, and then come in Saturday morning for bagels. So you get the whole experience,” encouraged Marisol Doyle.
Even though the number-one seller at Leña is pepperoni, the Doyles would encourage you to branch out and try a classic Neapolitan-style pizza if you’ve never had one and to get the pepperoni to go.
Pizzas are served Thursday through Saturday from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and bagels are offered on Saturday mornings until noon (or until they sell out). You can check out their weekly rotating menus and see hours directly on the Leña Pizza + Bagels website.
