100-years ago, the Pettines and Stellas of Terralizzi & the Bassanis & Gragnanis of Verona, Italy, set out on a project that would change the world of pizza... they each gave birth to their first-born children: Mikele & Giselda. Although it wasn’t discovered for a few years, an Italian food tradition was born. As the bambinis grew into full-fledged pizza-eating teens, they were surrounded by the sights & smells & tastes of all that is Italy & PIZZA! A little sauce here, a bit of olive oil over there, some fresh basil, and a touch of vino.

When the youngsters met, it was immediate amore. In fact, after their first meeting, the only ciao in their relationship was at the table of the family pizzeria. Love & pizza — that’s Italian! The happy couple wed after Giselda’s warm proposal: “You no marrya mi, I breaka you face.” As for Mikele & Giselda knowing & making pizza perfetto the way momma made it? Well, it’s safe to say their crusts were baked at birth. The first amazing creation for those two was a re-boot of the classic Margherita. It’s still called the Pettine & is on our menu today. Pazzesco!

Maka no mistake, there were lotsa bumps in the road. But those bumps, & that road created a whole new international take on the fantastic Pettine Pizza Pie. Imagine Mike & El’s concern over being stranded in Bangkok all those months. These wonderful people couldn’t say tomato, let alone make a sauce out of one. Concern bread innovation. Mikele discovered Thai Peanut sauce & promptly took that sauce home & put it on crust with a bit of pollo. Badda-bing, badda-bang, the first Bangkok Thai Chicken Pizza! That began a whole new pizza adventure: Artisan Pizza, pizza for the imagination. Necessity is the momma-mia of invention!

As the Pettines crisscrossed this grand globe of ours with the dream of coming to America, trips to Singapore, England, Greece, Jerusalem, Mexico, Hungry, the Sandwich Islands & more caused their pizza-palates to grow & grow. They soon arrived in the Americas & eventually Brooklyn, New York (the birthplace of the American Pizza) & all the while doing more cooking & tasting & pizza-imagining in Philly, Texas, New Orleans, New Mexico & the Golden State. Finally, the famiglia arrived in Coburg, Oregon. So extensive their travels, so expanded their pizza perspective, they needed a map just to remember their Pizza-Escursione. True, all true!

Despite the mix-ups in the second generation of Pettines being born in Boston (thus our not using Clam Chowder or tea as pizza toppings) & the third generation being born during their trip through (gulp!) California of all places (however, that was a good thing because the drive on Route 66 & the sunny beaches eventually inspired our Route 66 & California Club Pizza & many others), the more than slightly whop-sided tradition of cooking & feasting continues today.

That third generation (the Dawson family you’ve come to know & love, who always make your favorite pizza, who genuinely are Italian even though they shortened Dawsolini to Dawson), spreading out from that original momma & papa shoppa in Coburg, continues the fine tradition of Pettine pizza. A cheesy story? This story is the way it happened. Mostly. Really. Are you a believer in our true Italian heritage? Who nose? BUT, your taste buds won’t lie about our fine crusts and superior sauces made daily, the freshest cheeses in Oregon & the most extensive array of Globe-trotting tastes ever offered in a pizzeria. We have taken the flavors of the old homeworld of Italy, added international flair, stirred in our imagination & topped it off with hearty pies perfect for hungry Oregonians. We call it Pazzesco... the craziest, most imaginative, unique, over-the-top & totally whackedout stuff to ever hit a crust. One hundred years of tradition, innovation, excellence, imagination, great tastes & a whole heck of a lot of fun — together in one place: Coburg Pizza Company!