If the three most important food groups are bread, cheese and pork, then Ohana is a temple of nutrition. Built around wood-fired pizza, it’s only fitting that dough, dairy and the delights of salumi take a starring role. What’s more surprising is that this neighbourhood restaurant feels like an institution, even though it’s only been open since October 2022.

There are reasons. One, it’s in a space that has done duty for local diners since the 1970s, way-back-when as Alto Monte Pizza, from 2012 as stylish The Way to San Jose and more recently as Allora, an Italian bistro.

Another explanation for the lived-in feel is that owners Janelle Toomey and her chef husband, Callum Kaka, completely know what they’re doing, after a long history in regional and suburban pizza.

They opened Bank Street Woodfired Pizza in Avenel 13 years ago, followed it up with Northern Republic in Euroa and ran an extended Ohana pop-up at Wyndham Marina in Werribee South until 2021.

Here in McKinnon, pavement dining gives way to a front room with an appealing bar that seems to suggest it would be a great idea to perch for a baton of crumbed, fried and honeyed provolone cheese and a glass of Soave that sings with the herbs of the Veneto.

Most seating is along the bricked wall: it’s convivial but can get noisy. Through a retro archway, a carpeted dining room with shelves of cookbooks is a quieter option next to the open kitchen with its glowing wood oven.

I’d travel for this pizza. Kaka is working with Italian chef Daniele Gagno, using Australian flour, slow-risen, shaped into thin rounds, judiciously dotted with quality ingredients and baked fast and hot so the crust is blistered and the toppings meld into an oozy, flavourful tangle.

Margherita is always a test: this one is excellent, dark-fringed, a sunshiny daubing of tomato under bright splats of mozzarella.

Kaka’s pizza mentor is Tony Fazio, the maestro behind Fazio’s in Hampton and Ragazzi in Middle Park. “The Faz” pizza is a homage: it’s a gorgeous cacophony of roasted peppers, pancetta, pesto, mozzarella and feta made by a mate called Kosta.

Want your cheese, bread and pig deconstructed? Start with the gnocco fritto, a starter platter of fried dough puffs and furled prosciutto with gorgonzola dipping sauce.

Speaking of dipping, I was charmed by the crust dipper sauces: we went for peri peri and aioli.

Gagno used to work as pastry chef at La Manna; keep an eye out for desserts such as rosemary-infused panna cotta.

“Ohana” is a wrap-around term for “family” in Hawaiian. It’s not an obvious name for a pizza restaurant, but Kaka’s father is Maori so there’s a Polynesian connection. The name also suggests a generosity that encompasses staff and diners.

Pizza is an inclusive food anyway: great to share and the subject of endless debates. I’m excited for my next passionate pizza conversation at Ohana.