Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Garza.
Frank, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 1990, my father came to the US from Guatemala to began his career as a chef and fast forward 25 years later and he purchases his very own Italian restaurant. Soon after purchasing he reached out to me to help him with this new venue and fast forward five years later and I have become his lead chef/co-owner. He taught me how to: mince, sautee, prep, and serve. It has been a flavorful adventure filled with: great memories, plenty of pizza to go around, and we became a staple in the grand prairie community. We made friends that became family here and enjoy being the local Italian restaurant.
Chef Mario is my father and I’m his Sous Chef, Frank. We are both mustachioed chefs and enjoy preparing fresh Italian food with a smile on our face, aprons filled with flour, and making new friends.
Also, my Mother Connie She makes our Delicious Lasagnas Fresh and has been the brains behind our marinara sauce recipe, alfredo sauce recipe, and our fresh beef. She has been a founding member of the restaurant and his been alongside me and Mario for the last few years.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We had our struggles starting out to where we both had to work side by side seven days a week to make the dream come true. Once we hired help that we trained thoroughly we were able to take a day off each. There were days where the power would go out due to a storm and we would operate our gas oven by hanging flashlights and working side by side as a team.
There were days of happiness when I got married and the community embraced me and my new bride. Day’s of mourning where we lost a dear customer that had become a friend. There were joyous birthdays celebrated with Italian Cream Cake and pizza.
There was a sad day when we were broken into and our restaurant was in disrepair, but the community were caring and even helped to fix broken items and helped us like a good neighbor does.
Pizzaiolo’s Pizza & Pasta – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are known for our New York Style Pizza, big pizza slices just like you’d find in Manhattan. We are known as a veteran-friendly company hosting every Tuesday night a veteran meeting where veterans come and socialize.
Aside from pizza we have a full Italian Menu: Fresh Ricotta filled Calzones, Fresh Mozzarella/beef lasagna, and our delicious Cannolis.
What sets us apart is we are just us. My father, me and my mother. We welcome everyone personally and make them feel welcome. Some have become such good friends that they attended my: wedding, gender reveal, and birthday parties.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
After my 4th year of cooking, I graduated into wearing the chef coat and chef hat. It was a proud moment for me because the last four years of learning the ropes had finally made me into the Sous Chef.
Contact Info:
- Address: 355 E. Westchester Pkwy
Suit 100
Grand Prairie, TX 75052 - Website: pizzaiolosgrandprairie.com
- Phone: 9722624100
- Email: pizzaiolospizza@gmail.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/pizzaiolos
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