La Pizzeria sold

Author: Michael Gennings

Date: Dec 11, 2009

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Michael Gennings

Elvis and Elizabeth Pace have sold La Pizzeria, the popular Main Street eatery in Stayner. The couple isn’t sure what they’ll be doing next.

STAYNER: One of Stayner’s Main Street gems has changed hands. The founders of La Pizzeria, Elvis and Elizabeth Pace, have sold their restaurant to Jody Gillis and Londy Doran of Creemore. Gillis said they were interested in the restaurant because of the quality of food and the established clientele base. “We’ve always had the best when we come in here,” Gillis said.
Elvis and Elizabeth said the sale happened rather quickly. “We were approached in late August. It wasn’t something we’d been thinking about,” Elvis said. “Anyway, we took a week to really think about it and decided that we would sell. I thought ‘Yeah, this will give us a chance to do something different.” The Wasaga Beach residents said that after running their own pizzeria for 11 years it will be nice to have a break. “We don’t really know what we’ll be doing next – honest,” Elvis said. “We’re going to take some time and in January, in the New Year, we’ll start to focus on a new adventure.” Elvis and Elizabeth, 39 and 37 respectively, opened the restaurant in August 1998 and quickly became known for their good food. “My uncle pushed us to come here,” Elvis said. “He thought Stayner was a really nice town and that it would be perfect for us. I didn’t even know where Stayner was.” Elvis said that at the time, his family – including the uncle who had an eye on Stayner – had four other pizzerias in Western Ontario, including one in Chesley, south of Owen Sound. Elvis said that when the idea of having their own business was pitched, he was running a production line at a plastics company in Guelph, where they lived. Elizabeth was working on the cutting room floor at a textile company nearby. “The idea [of having our own business] was appealing,” Elvis said. “We wanted to get out of working for someone else.” For a period, before opening, the couple worked at the Chesley restaurant, learning the business. During that time, Elvis’s uncle found a space in Stayner that they could lease for the restaurant. “It had been empty for a bit. It was really the only location that worked for what we wanted to do,” he said. The couple spent a month renovating and painting before they opened. A friend, who is a chef, helped them develop the menu for which they’ve since become famous. The restaurant’s most popular pizzas are the all-meat Hunter and the Authentic, which consists of onions, black olives, tomatoes, garlic and top secret spices, the couple said. “We make our own dough, we make our own sauces, we even grate our own cheese,” Elvis noted, when talking about what makes their food so special. “To me, it’s those types of little things that go a long way.” Lasagna and caesar salad is big among customers as well. “The majority of people who come in are local,” Elvis said. “It’s amazing how many people we’ve met. How many people have helped us out in different ways over the years.” People from around the region come in too. “We’ve got customers from Barrie, Owen Sound, Creemore – from all over. We even ship panzerotties to Edmonton. We cook them half-way, freeze them and then ship them,” Elvis said, holding up a thank-you post card from the satisfied family with ties to Stayner. The two said that running their own business, with help from three part-time employees, has been a learning experience and very rewarding. “People have been nothing but number one to us,” Elvis said. But they concede there have been drawbacks as well. “You miss out on a lot because you always have to be here,” Elizabeth said. Outside of work they enjoy snowmobiling together and Elizabeth is fond of hiking in the area. And despite all the time they’ve spent in a restaurant, food at home is still a big deal. The couple said they like to eat a lot of pasta and meat dishes. “I think it’s the Italian in me,” quipped Elvis. Oh, and in case you’ve been wondering all these years but never wanted to ask, Elvis really is his name. He said his mother was a big fan of the King of Rock ‘n Roll. “I get questioned about my name everywhere I go,” he said, laughing. Gillis said La Pizzeria will be closed until Nov. 12 so they can do some renovation work. He said they will not be making any immediate changes to the menu.