Pandemic showed Rochester pizza chef how to take his brand beyond his restaurant
Pasquale's Neighborhood Pizzeria owner Pasquale Presa smells some fresh from the oven take-and-bake pizzas on Thursday, May 27, 2021, at Pasquales in Rochester. Pasquale’s just recently signed a deal to sell his frozen pizzas in all Hy-Vee stores. (Traci Westcott / twestcott@postbulletin.com)
Prior to the pandemic, Chef Pasquale Presa was looking for ways to grow Pasquale's Neighborhood Pizzeria in Rochester.
“My dream was always to expand, but I really didn’t know how to. I’m just a chef…,” he said.
Ironically, the biggest threat to his business opened the door to a way to take his New York-style pizzeria business to the next level and to reach customers well beyond Rochester’s city limits.