The story began in the late 80’s.  With the seedling of a dream to be an entrepreneur, Paul (PJ) took a stab at owning and running a business, enter Pit Stop Pizza. Pit Stop Pizza didn’t quite make it off the ground, but that didn’t dissuade PJ from pressing forward.

 

After managing a busy Domino’s location and training in the Domino’s Franchisee school, the next adventure presented itself.  PJ and a partner, known as Pizza Boys Inc., joined together to take over an up and running pizza and pub.  Pizza Kings on Merriam Lane became PJ’s life and the fulfillment of a dream. A year later, the partnership dissolved, and Pizza Kings became a one man show.  Pizza Kings enjoyed 11 years of business and had numerous regulars, the Pizza Kings family. Popular on the menu, in addition to draft beer, were PJ’s creation of Pizza Sticks, a delicious marriage of pizza toppings and dipping sticks. Pizza King's customers enjoyed pool tables, poker nights, and karaoke.

 

Believe it or not, Match.com initiated the next adventure in the life of the Pizza King. With a wave and a perky smile, we were introduced. My outspoken and outgoing personality and PJ’s down to earth, quiet but wise demeanor, was a great match and the pizza dream continued to evolve. Together, as a newly formed family, we continued in the pizza evolution with the birth of Westwood Pizza. This would be a colorful and family friendly environment located off 47th Street in northern Johnson County, near the booming Joe’s Kansas City BBQ (formerly Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ).

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Nothing hurts like a market crash, and the 2008 Bubble Burst, placed a young pizza restaurant on the chopping block of life. The market crash, along with other factors, turned Westwood Pizza into a victim of the Next Great Depression. She closed her doors as Westwood Pizza a final time in November 2008.

 

With loss, comes wisdom, and this story is no different. Seeing his hard work and hopes for a future in the pizza restaurant world crash, it was a hard pill for PJ to swallow. But soon, it became the catalyst for new ideas, skill building in the restaurant world and an appreciation for the real rewards of life, family. For the next 10 years, PJ enjoyed the spirit of owning a business by being a general manager of a successful, local pizza restaurant without the financial risk. He was once heard saying, “It’s nice to run a business, get a paycheck and not have to spend my money to build it.” Wisdom at its finest.

 

Lots of changes occurred between the closing of Westwood Pizza and the glimmer of Paulie D’s Pizza. Our family grew by two awesome kids looking for a family to call their own. Alex and Elizabeth became official Dorings on December 15th, 2017. We missed out on diapers and baby bottles, but, believe me, the teen years made up for it!!  With  full hearts and a full house with 3 teenagers, 2 cats and a dog as old as our relationship, we moved ahead.

 

In addition to adding to our family, there were job changes, buying and selling homes, exploring the deep south during winter (future snow birds in the making).  We experienced the loss of a beloved houseboat to a micro burst and the discovery of our own quiet, secluded getaway of 10 acres near our favorite lake, Pomme de Terre in Missouri.  Life is a journey, and these are just a few of the happenings during our pizza restaurant evolution. The entrepreneurial spirit never left PJ. 

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For PJ, managing a couple of businesses, did not bring the challenge and pride that owning and operating his own pizza place does. That spark never disappeared, and it continued to build in his brain (unbeknownst to me). As a big picture, forward thinking man and the idea of owning another pizza restaurant began to slowly and quietly infiltrate our conversations. I did my best to lob conditions and dissuasion, and he wavered at none of them.  We happened on a great location on Johnson Drive as the evolution continued.

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Paulie D's Pizza entered into the world in April of 2019.  PJ was very excited to own a pizza place of his own again and the future was bright.  With all new dough, made fresh daily, and stringent expectations for fresh and tasty toppings, Paulie D's Pizza opened to a welcoming community in Mission, Kansas.  It was a family affair with our three teenagers providing a strong work force (and teenage sass!)  Our opening weeks blew us away and brought home the importance of having a successful restaurant under conditions that were the best for our family.  We insisted on being closed every Sunday and Monday to ensure we had time for family and nurture our relationship.

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Opening and owning a business will always have its challenges and ups and downs!  When COVID 19 hit the US, fear for not only our business but our lives became a real concern.  After a short closure during the shelter in place mandate, we reopened with cautionary hope knowing that we could provide our pizza as a carry out/curb side offering.  We were one of the fortunate businesses and restaurants to weather the COVID crisis.  My background as a nurse and PJ's cautious nature proved our ticket to avoid illness and thrive as a business.  We are so very grateful for the patrons who continued to order pizza with us and helped us to survive.

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Fast forward 5 1/2 years, graduating 3 teens from high school, moving 4 different times, annual January trips to warmer climates and various ups and downs, we entered into a year long transition that brought our lives and careers to Central Missouri, near Pomme de Terre Lake.  Pomme has been in both of our lives since childhood and had become our weekend destination as our kids were growing up.  Over the year, we concluded that we wanted to grow old together at Pomme de Terre Lake and why wait until retirement!  After a significant career change from pediatric nursing to adult nursing, we closed Paulie D's Pizza in Mission and planned to open up somewhere near Pomme de Terre Lake.  We were so fortunate to find the perfect spot in Galmey and here we are!  

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PJ "Paulie" and I are so excited to join this community and be near our favorite lake.  We are hopeful that Paulie D's Pizza will become a beloved pizza place here in Hickory County.  We've brought our pride and joy, Paulie D's Pizza, and hope you too will love our pizza as much as we do!

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