Ron Tavakoli serves a full cheese pizza, which he made by hand.
For those who missed having that small-town pizza flavor in Princeton, a new pizza joint has come to town at 538 W Water St.
PieZanos Pizza had its soft opening in July, though it has been open arbitrarily on several days since the month of June.
The location will offer classic pizza flavors such pepperoni, cheese and meat lovers, along with various flavors of wings. As customers get acquainted with his classics, owner Ron Tavakoli will run specials of other culturally diverse pizza flavors like Afghan eggplant, Indian butter chicken and French goat cheese and fig.
Tavakoli explained that the restaurant will be casual, but enjoyable.
Ron Tavakoli sprinkles cheese onto dough while making a cheese pizza.
“You sit here, have a bottle of wine, listen to great music, great visuals, great pizza [and] have fun,” he said. “… It’ll be casual enough that people can come in here and enjoy it without fear of costing a fortune. It’s pizza; it’s supposed to be fun.”
Tavakoli’s recipes are handmade and cooked with fresh ingredients. They’re inspired by a combination of his learning through YouTube and experimenting with trial and error. For example, his personal dough recipe takes influence from a Vietnamese bread called “Bánh mì.”
Though his favorite item on the menu are his wings, Tavakoli says he loves food from every culture. In the past, he has owned four other restaurants: Latin, Jamaican, Modern American and Mediterranean.
PieZanos Pizzeria is located at 536 West Water St., Princeton. It is open currently every day except Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As a former trial lawyer who worked in California, Tavakoli found cooking to be an escape from his work.
“It was my zen,” he said. “So I’ve been a trial lawyer for 30 years. … Cooking was the way I would close off the world, think about my case as I’m cooking. After a few years I’m like, ‘This is fun. I’d rather do this than go to court.’”
Getting into the restaurant business has come with its own set of challenges, though.
Tavakoli bought his Princeton property based on photos online, not expecting its age and the work it would take to transform the old building to fit his vision. Tavakoli also was accustomed to the quick availability of skilled labor in California, while in Princeton, he said the wait was much longer.
Ron Tavakoli holds up his pizza to show that the crust has become the correct consistency.
Another challenge for Tavakoli now is finding someone he trusts to take over the business. Currently, he is working as a one-man show.
“[In the past], I gave the responsibility to somebody else, but that didn’t work out for me,” Tavakoli said. “This time, that’s why it has to be me, establish everything first. Then you have somebody else follow those protocols.”
In the meantime, Tavakoli emphasized he is focused on great pizza rather than volume, specifically mentioning his dough recipe. As with other ingredients, he ferments his own dough from scratch.
His pizza and its dough seem to have been well received by those who’ve tried it.
“Just ate there today! The open sign was on, so we went in! Delicious! Meat lovers and cheese pizza were fresh and yummy! Luv the crust,” Facebook user Chandarose Loskot said in a Princeton group.
Ron Tavakoli carefully examines his pizza dough as he stretches it to make a cheese pizza.
As Tavakoli works to acquaint customers with his handmade recipes, he plans to eventually partner with local farms and to work with the Princeton Area Chamber of Commerce to host events.
For now, PieZanos’ hours are listed as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Wednesdays. Pickup and delivery orders can be made online or by calling 920-289-3703.
