M first pizza job was at a small mom-n-pop place in Bloomington IL. The owners were subscribers to PMQ and kept their collection of the magazines on the back desk area where employees ate meals. I remember reading my first issue and seeing a few years worth of PMQ magazines on the desk (in order by date as the owners were very organized at all times!). I couldn’t believe there was a magazine out there entirely dedicated to pizza, so I read one after the other cover-to-cover during meal breaks. Reading about other pizzerias and experts as to what they do and what they’re trying and it really made me start to think about pizza in a different way.
At the time, I was in the middle of my college years and still not entirely sure what I wanted to do. I studied Business and Economics at Illinois State University and seemed interested in both majors but also developed a passion for pizza working in a small business owned/operated by a husband and wife duo who were there from open to close 7 days a week. Creating new pizzas and perfecting my craft was my goal every shift.
I stayed at that job for two years until I graduated and moved to Chicago to start my career in finance. After starting my career with a well-established firm and excelling in the role, the higher-ups kept asking the same question: “where do you see yourself in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years?” My answer (in my head) was NOT HERE! I wasn’t as happy. I was stuck in an office setting staring at numbers albeit making a nice salary and great work hours compared to the restaurant industry, yet I just wasn’t happy there.
I missed the pizza passion and here I am today with my own pizzeria selling those creative pies I tried making back then to test on the buffet and we’re killing it! PMQ was a big part of developing that passion and making me realize there’s more to pizza than just pizza. It’s a way of life and there’s a culture behind it and I’m damn proud to be apart of it all!
