Blair Pietrini

I was the founder and director of a local non profit organization in my home town of Los Alamitos, Ca for 26 years when my husband and I decided to open a pizza restaurant. (his lifelong dream) It took a year and a half to build it out, and we excitedly opened our doors in January 2021 (right in the middle of the Covid pandemic) There was no indoor dining or outdoor dining at that time- only take out, which I believe was a blessing in disguise because we really had no idea what we were doing. Tragically, my husband passed away unexpectedly during surgery just ten months after opening the restaurant. After his death, we closed up shop for a couple of weeks. It was at that time my family and I decided that the best way to honor my husband's legacy was to try and keep his dream alive. I could accept it if it was not successful in his absence, but I could not accept us not trying to keep it afloat. Gratefully, we just celebrated our 5th year anniversary in January of this year. It has been a bittersweet journey, but I believe that we have built something beautiful; a place where people feel welcome, celebrated and well cared for.