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Mid Rivers Newsmagazine is St. Charles County's
exclusive direct-mailed community newspaper. |
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Restaurant Spotlight Archive |
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Ozella’s Pizzeria Brings A North County Hit To St. CharlesBy Mary Ann O'Toole Holley
St. Charles’ newest pizzeria/Italian eatery, Ozella’s Pizzeria in St. Charles, is a third generation establishment owned and operated by Jeff and Terri Wilson. Jeff is the grandson of William “Red” and Ozella Wilson, owners of the famed Ozella’s that lured thousands of diners for more than 25 years to their restaurant along North County’s Hwy. 367, across from the North Twin Drive-In. For the longest time, remnants and recipes of Ozella’s were relegated to a box in the Wilson’s basement. About four years ago, however, Jeff set free those recipes and now brings his grandparents’ delicacies back to life—all at a cozy little nightspot just four or five blocks north of Lindenwood University. In sort of a tag-team restaurant approach, the Wilsons share an establishment with Lady Di’s Deli and Diner, a breakfast spot that closes early. When the clock strikes 3, the Wilson’s take over, transforming the eatery into a more-than-one-could-want comfort zone for an evening’s outing. “When we found the recipes, we decided to make a few pizzas for ourselves and friends. Then more and more people started asking for them,” Jeff Wilson said. “We sold them at cost, and before we knew it, we had sold 11,000 pizzas just through word of mouth.” The Wilson’s figured they already had a pretty decent customer base with the authentic Italian home-made pizzas wrapped in plastic and frozen for home baking. So the amicable couple decided to chuck their day jobs and reach for their dream. Jeff reawakened his long-deprived cooking skills honed at his family’s business and the well-known Ponticello’s in Spanish Lake, and Terri kicked it into high gear learning the ropes of rolling pizza dough and adding just the right spices to their super selection of pizzas, pastas and more. Jeff knows that onion rings must be crisp and crunchy, sans the grease that often all too easily separates the onion from the batter. He knows that the sausage must be just the right texture and have the exact mix of spices, and he knows that if you place the cheese on the pizza in slices it creates a more even distribution. One taste of their foods and you know he is right. “We make all our dough, sauces, sausages and everything else from scratch,” Jeff Wilson said. “People say they love the food, we still sell the frozen pizzas to-go (a few bucks less than when eaten on site), to bars and fundraising efforts, and we think we’re on our way.” While most customers hanker for the pizza served hot and ready to eat ($9 for 12-inch, $12 for 14-inch), the Wilson’s say their Italian Cheeseburger ($4.95) is becoming quite a winner. “There are two guys who have fallen in love with the Italian Cheeseburger,” Terri Wilson said. “They must come in every other day. We keep telling them they’re going to get tired of it, but they say they gotta have it.” Ozella’s has always been famous for its crisp salads ($2.99 dinner size/$6.50 large size) and out-of-this-world Mayfair dressing (made fresh daily), but the Wilsons also create a delicious line of other homemade dressings like the House Italian, with just the right vinegar and oil, or the celery seed, ranch and blue cheese. You won’t find any bottled choices here. “To be honest, we don’t want to become a big restaurant. We just want to make it homey,” Terri Wilson said. “We knew we didn’t want to raise prices, that is why we are in an old-fashioned neighborhood location.”
The Wilson’s aren’t resting on their grandparents’ laurels. They’re taking Ozella’s’ to new heights, and invite you to soar along with them.
Ozella’s Pizzeria 630 N. Kingshighway St. Charles Phone 636-916-4442 Directions: (Exit on I-94 (northeast) to First Capitol Dr., keep left to Kingshighway, across from St. Charles High School, corner of Clark and N. Kingshighway,)
Hours: Sunday - Thursday 4—9 p.m. Friday and Saturday 4—10 p.m. Closed on Mondays
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There is something about Ozella’s Pizzeria that makes you thank goodness fabulous restaurateurs of days gone by had children.
