For as long as James Catalfino can remember, his life has revolved around pizza. His father was the owner of Catalfino’s Pizza, which opened in 1974, and in 1995 the father/son duo became partners after opening a second location on Refugee Road.
Catalfino’s soon became a local favorite, and life was good for the duo. But in 2013, just a year after being diagnosed with cancer, Catalfino’s father died, and everything changed. Catalfino made the difficult decision to close his father’s shop to transition to a career in real estate.
“Even when he was sick, he was still showing up and working 90-hour weeks,” Catalfino says. “He produced and showed up every day and worked.”
In Pickerington, and even in neighboring communities, the competition between pizza shops is fierce and critics are tough. Residents know good pizza. So, running a pizzeria, even for a seasoned pie maker like Catalfino, is risky.
“People are making some real good pizza,” Catalfino says. “You are going to have to bring it or you aren’t going to make it here. With that type of competition, it’s a tough deal.”
This year, Catalfino and a business partner rose to the challenge and opened a new shop, CBUS Pizza. It may not bear the family name, but Catalfino plans to carry on his father’s legacy to bring something uniquely delicious and passion-filled to local tables.
“My dad always said, ‘There really are no secrets; if you put crap on top of a great crust, you’ll still sell a crap pizza,’” Catalfino says, laughing. “Everything counts with pizza; buy good stuff and you’ll sell good stuff.”
Pro Tip by Catalfino
“Pay attention to what you do with your dough. Making it is one thing, how you treat it after is a whole other thing,” Catalfino says. “You can’t just roll it out and make a pizza right away. Figure out how the bread is supposed to rise and how you get flavor.”
CBUS Pizza is located at 5000 Gender Rd., Canal Winchester.
Rocco Falleti is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com
