Subscribe via RSS Feed

Mountain Pizza

June 23, 2010 2 Comments

As we hear my Uncle Mike’s truck pulling up the mountain in the late afternoon drizzle, we know dinner is here. Luckily, Brian and my cousins are almost back from a swim in the pond, so they can get cleaned up and have dinner with us. As they walk up to the porch with a few of the dogs in tow, they smell the warm pizza from Side Street Pizza and Pasta and begin to hurry.

Uncle Mike brings many of the family’s favorites: a cheese, pepperoni, and white pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms, a “special deluxe” pizza covered with black olives, pepperoni, hot sausage (tastes like the Neese sausage we had last week), jalapeno peppers, onions, and ham.  The fresh toppings are all served on a thin crust of soft dough. The sweet dough acts as support for a thick layer of mozzarella that is caramelized to perfection.

Let me tell you about Bobby Capozzi who started Side Street Pizza and Pasta. He moved to Tryon, North Carolina after he finished graduate school. He and his Italian family are from Greensberg, Pennsylvania. He got the place going but brought down his dad to help refine the recipes and make it “just right.” Eventually Bobby’s four younger siblings also made the move down South to join the team and now they are part of the family business.  For the last thirty years, the family has been serving their great food to the people of Tyron with great success.

As we start serving ourselves from the warm pizza boxes, it is hard to choose where to start.  Unfortunately, as one of my cousins is serving himself, a slice misses his plate and the gooey, cheesy slice falls to the floor where it is quickly inhaled by Willie, one of the five dogs in the house. Oh well, I am glad he got to have a slice to enjoy too!

What a treat it was for Brian and I to share this local favorite with our family.  As we sit around the big kitchen table sharing stories, I can’t help but think that this is what the Capozzi family wants for all their patrons– enjoy a good meal together just as they did growing up in back in Greenburg, PA.

About the Author:

Comments (2)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Caroline says:

    I always learn something new from your stories. Did not know the background on Sidestreet pizza. Willy is a lucky dog!

  2. Michael Dulev says:

    Great to see you having an inspiring experience. Everybody at USC misses you.

Leave a Reply