When life hands you a pizza place… you make pizza.
Opening a pizza place was never something we had planned to do.
In early 2019, we were approached about a pizza restaurant that would be closing soon and if we would like to partner with the current silent partnership group on a new concept. After some deliberation, we agreed to contribute our expertise and passion into a new restaurant that we would come to call il Focolare Pizzeria. The name means “the hearth” in Italian; the true center of any kitchen and in our case: the main focus point of the restaurant’s open kitchen/dining space.
Over the summer of 2019, Aaron & Sarah worked to create a new concept that would embrace their love for pizza but not settle into a specific style or region - skewing what is “authentic” about pizza and trying to find a niche in the Columbia market. Combining ideas and concepts of multiple types of pizzerias, including paying homage to some of our favorites in NYC, we landed on what we call “Columbia-Style Pizza.” It’s wood-fired pizza with the best possible ingredients that should be just as good if you take it to go or reheat it the next day.
This meant we had to create new dough and sauce recipes that brought out the best in our little oven. Instead of type “00” flour that yields a softer, wetter dough (which is perfect for a la minute eating, but disappointing for takeaway), we use a stronger, more stable, and higher protein flour for our dough. It gives it a great chew, but also stays stable during the drive home or when you reheat it the next day. We sourced great San Marzano tomatoes and use a raw sauce withe just a bit of garlic, salt, and olive oil. We picked the best mozzarella we could get. And we found those little pepperonis that curl up in the oven when baked.
Is there a better pairing to great pizza than great wine? We didn’t think so. So instead of pulling in mass-produced, “grocery store” quality wines we brought in fantastic new and old world wines that complement the food and support winemakers that use modern and fair practices. We tasted over 200 wines to find ones were not only affordable but also delicious and easy for our staff to sell. Because this restaurant is the introduction to wine culture and service for many of our service team, we forced on concise, smart descriptions that the team could remember and relay to our guests. We used suggested pairings and tasting notes instead of talking grapes and regions. This method allowed our team to learn slowly and focus on guest satisfaction and engagement rather than knowledge of growers or styles. While at the same time learning about wine, wine service, and wine culture.
To complete the concept we embraced the nostalgia of the pizza places of our childhood, bringing in those red plastic cups and fun, silly artwork. Servers wear fanny packs for their notebooks and wine keys and the music is upbeat and engaging. The result is a space that is serious about food and service, but very casual for our guests.
il Focolare was our first full-service no-gratuity restaurant. Our service staff and cooks are both paid livable wages and as with our other concepts, all full-time salaried team members have their hours capped at 45 hours/week. Over the years we have been able to use il Focolare to hire and train individuals that in addiction recovery and/or are re-entering the workforce after extended periods of homelessness. Our leadership team at il Focolare has show an incredible amount of passion and grace when hiring and training these members of our team and it has become a core part of the ethos of the restaurant. We’ve seen many of these team members thrive with the support we’ve been able to offer on and off the job.
Our hard work and vision on the concept and training for the restaurant paid off and il Focolare Pizzeria was an immediate hit. But like many other restaurant groups that opened concepts in in late 2019, we were immediately caught off guard by COVID-19 and switched from a bustling little restaurant to a to-go only take pizza place. We adapted by opening for lunch and offering some additional menu items like fresh pita and hummus, selling wine to-go, and doing everything we could to keep our team safe and the doors open. We chose to not lay off any members of our team during the pandemic, using PPP funds and Columbia’s love for pizza to sustain our small team, all without inside dining. During this time we also offered local Hospitality industry workers free pizzas via a “pay-it-forward” pizza program where people in our community could buy a pizza someone in need of a meal.
Following South Carolina’s lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in the summer of 2020, we made the decision to remain to-go only in order to protect our team. We remained to-go only for another year, until August of 2021. During this time we had ZERO COVID-19 breakouts in the restaurant, as all staff practiced social distancing and wore masks daily. We provided COVID tests and paid work-from-home opportunities to help keep our team afloat. As we made the decision to open for inside dining and with a desire to continue to keep our team safe, we became what was at the time, the only restaurant in South Carolina requiring proof of vaccination to book a reservation. We continued to offer food to-go during this time for those who disagreed with our choice to prioritize our team’s safety.
In the fall of 2020, we reached an agreement with our partners to buy out their share of the business. All of our restaurants are 100% owned by the core partnership team and will continue this way into the future.
Many in Columbia regard il Focolare as the best pizza in town and it continues to be the fun, casual restaurant we envisioned back in 2019. Il Focolare was named the Best New Restaurant in Columbia in 2020 by the Post & Courier Columbia staff.