Small Town Charm
One thing about small town USA is they always have hometown charm in the odd places and where I live, my new home if you may, we have a little pizza shop, Little Pizza Heaven, I have eaten there a few times and the food is good but if you know anything about a small town it is not always the food but the small touches that make it different. well this place makes sure all the little touches are worth the visit so I decide to stop and tell you what the those little touches are and maybe this can show you how a small town charm can make the difference without food being the center, don’t worry I will talk about something, the lemonade, not the pizza but you will get that a later date because I want to give a whole post to my favorite pizza when I do it.
I stopped in for a lemonade; they make their own, not Country Time or Crystal Light. It has a good, sweet taste, but it is not tart. Some people like lemonade tart, and if that is your thing, I understand, and sometimes that is what is called for. Now, I must admit that I do not like to pucker when I eat something, so I never got into the sour flavor craze. Some people live for it, and I understand that if you have a niche that is uniquely yours, I will never be one to take that away from anyone. However, the lemonade is not overly sweet and has a smooth, even taste without the draw up and snap your mouth unready for a different flavor, and if you are going to enjoy a slice, then that is the last thing you want going on is your taste buds to be upset about the next bite.
Little Pizza Heaven is in the middle of downtown in a small town. If you look at their Facebook page, you'll see that they do host live music, and the music corner is perfectly aligned with the restaurant's overall theme. I have a small problem with calling them a restaurant, as they are more than that. They are truly a cornerstone of the community. The location is across the street, around the corner, and down the road from all the things that make a town viable. The only thing not close to the place are the farms; however, the farmers and their families come in just to talk to the staff more than to eat, I think, which is not a business aspect, but it does create a friendly atmosphere in our small town. The conversations are not just about the food but about the people, places, and things that make up the town. This just shows how important a community fixture the place is.
It is easy to see how this place is part of the small community and not just a restaurant to support itself. I look forward to enjoying the music corner they have in the future.
Another one of the small touches is the salad bar. This restaurant found a way to make it more inviting by understanding the small community it serves, and it achieved this by covering and temperature-controlling the salad bar. I found this impressive and very health-conscious. I have a family member who became very ill from eating from a bacteria-laden salad bar that caused an infection which then settled in their bone marrow from a tainted salad bar. For this extra step, I truly give thanks and praise to God, as it demonstrates a level of care that some restaurants seem to overlook.
The inviting timelessness of the place is in the details, with the old school arcade games and the coloring table for the kids to get some activities to preoccupy themselves with, or the ever-so-clean but possibly decorative prep area. These things let you know that they care enough about the little details; you can be assured that great details will be cared for in every aspect. This place, Little Pizza Heaven, is just one of the many places in my new hometown that I find to be part of the strong foundation that makes the town worthy of being my home. I will introduce you to more of them in the coming weeks.
