Pizzi Cafe in Conneaut, Ohio, has new owners and name, but old recipes. When will it reopen?

If your day trips west to Cleveland or Conneaut, Ohio, have been less than satisfying since Pizzi's Cafe closed in 2018 after 84 years in business, you can celebrate now. Or wait until February.

Two women and their husbands who are direct descendants of business founder Tony Pizzi bought the Harbor Street property in a sheriff's sale Jan. 6, and are renovating it from stem to stern. They hope to open in February.

"We have the same recipes," said great-granddaughter Taylor Hill, 31.

Due to state machinations, the women are changing the name from Pizzi Cafe to Grandpa Pizzi's Place, with founding year 1934 incorporated into the new logo.

Hill's mother, Karen Wheeler, 62, recently retired from teaching art at Lakeshore Primary School in Conneaut, and she and Taylor are doing as much of the work as they can themselves and with help from friends. Tony Pizzi was Wheeler's grandfather.

"When it closed, it was heartbreaking," Wheeler said, declining to discuss the reason for the closure soon after the last owner, Patrick Griswold, died in 2017.

They said there is quite a bit of damage inside the restaurant due to burst pipes and general neglect in the ensuing years.

The restaurant started out at the sheriff's sale at $25,000, Wheeler said, but after a stiff auction battle with a competing buyer, they finally got it for $127,000. She said she was shaking and crying and overwhelmed with emotion when it was all over, but she doesn't regret a thing.

"It just felt like the right thing to do," she said. "For the family and for the community."

Restoring the business

Tony and Mary Pizzi immigrated from Italy and started the restaurant in 1934. Conneaut was a hub for immigrating Italians and Finnish at that time. In fact, both of Pizzi's daughters married Finns. These days, the small town cherishes its rich history, and revitalizing places like Pizzi's is a big part of that.

Wheeler and Hill said the real work has just begun.

"There's a lot to do and fix," Wheeler said.

They both go to the restaurant regularly and just "pick a project," such as cleaning a cooler or the oven doors. They're having the booth seats reupholstered and the bar redone to match the room's original woodwork.

They've both worked in restaurants before, but neither have ever tried to run one, they said. But they both have not only Pizzi's recipes, but love to cook Italian food together, including bruschetta with roasted red peppers, meatballs and seasonal dishes.

Wheeler said since people in town have been learning of her and Hill's endeavor, they're getting encouragement from all over.

"This town has been so supportive," she said "We do need a lot of help, but we'll get our feet under us. The messages we're getting on Facebook have been wonderful."

In a way, that feedback also unnerves Wheeler a little, and both she and her daughter admit to being both excited and a little nervous about what they've gotten themselves into.

"There's a lot of excitement," Wheeler said. "And that comes with its own kind of pressure."

Contact Jennie Geisler at jgeisler@timesnews.com. Or at 814-870-1885.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Conneaut, Ohio, pizzeria has new owners with big dreams, old recipes