Pizzeria creates niche with new vegan menu

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From The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Pizzeria creates niche with new vegan menu Nishad MajmudarStaff writer (February 27, 2006) — Maybe it was a sign of good luck for Two Paisans Pizza on South Clinton Avenue. Or maybe it was a testament to the pizzeria's meaty roots.Just after poking fun at America's obsession with super-sized, fatty foods during an October 2004 appearance in Rochester, Tonight Show host Jay Leno apparently gorged himself on an entire Utica-style sausage pizza from Two Paisans during his limousine ride to the Rochester airport.Two Paisans owner Jill Nabar, 38, who had bought the restaurant from its founding owners just months before Leno's visit, got a few laughs out of the experience, especially when Leno complimented the pizza

during his show.Other late-night hosts have yet to visit the South Wedge eatery and try the meat-packed Utica "upside-down pizza," but a new menu for vegetarians and vegans, those who don't eat meat, dairy nor egg products, is sparking some interest from new customers and even from some of the current carnivorous clientele.The restaurant is claiming to be the first pizzeria in the Rochester region to introduce an extensive vegan menu, a move Nabar says reflects changing diets of local residents of the South Wedge and other nearby neighborhoods."We thought, 'No other pizzeria does anything like this,'" says Jill, a Rochester native. "We have a vegan employee who said there aren't a lot of places in Rochester for this."Two Paisans has long produced meat-heavy specialties like the "upside-down" sausage pizza, which is considered upside-down because the sauce is poured on top of the cheese.But the restaurant has an assorted menu of vegan items,

including "Phillysteak" sandwiches, a Buffalo sandwich, a vegan "trash plate," a "trash plate" pizza and of course a build-your-own vegan pizza. The "meat" is made from wheat gluten, a spongy material that can soak up sauces."I like how they offer both vegan and classical meat-style (trash) plates," said Evan Guerin, 23, a regular South Wedge customer and self-described omnivore.Guerin also does sign work for the restaurant as part of his graphics business. "Sometimes I like to get paid in food credit," he says.Jill's husband, Ram, a district manager for the food service company Sodexho USA, said the move to introduce vegan was inspired by some research into the health benefits of the diet."The menu's also for people who are lactose-intolerant and who can't eat the cheese," Jill says.Jill says the new menu has attracted a "phenomenal" response from college students and restaurant regulars alike and has been endorsed by a few local vegetarian

societies.The drive for a vegan menu was also fueled by the business hurdles that Two Paisans faces, such as volatile prices for key ingredients, delivery costs and staffing issues.Like many other family-owned pizza shops, Two Paisans has focused on higher-valued specialty pizzas to keep business strong."The margins are not good in this business because everything is made from scratch," Jill says.The vegan menu adds another dimension to the restaurant's specialty menu, she says."You've got to be creating value for the right price point," says Ram, 38. "A specialty pizza allows us to charge $15.99. The big chains have volume and delivery supported by big marketing budgets. But we can't have Jessica Simpson do a commercial, so we provide value in the food."Because of his job in the food service industry, Ram Nabar says he doesn't get too involved with Two Paisans but advises wife Jill on business and strategy.So managing the

day-to-day operation is Jill, who says she's using her degree in graphic design from the Rochester Institute of Technology to think creatively about overcoming challenges in her business.It may be a business, she says, "but you're still creating something. It's about the quality and uniqueness of the product."NMAJMUDA Peter H

 

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