So what’s the connection between the breathtakingly beautiful
Colorado Rockies and two passionate pizza makers? Ask Richard “Daddio” Ames or
Steve “Bodega Highway” Hitchcock and they might say it has something to do with
freedom.
I soaked in stories and observations from these two
entrepreneurs, naturalists and renaissance pizzaioli as we drove through
majestic mountain passes and skirted the mighty, untamed Colorado River. I
joined them on a 240-mile road trip—with a few pizzeria pit stops—from Denver
to Grand Junction, Colorado. Ames, owner of Daddio’s Pizzeria in Grand Prairie,
Alberta, Canada, was hosted by pizza comrade Hitchcock, who founded Soda Creek
Pizza in the picture postcard Colorado mountain resort port of Steamboat
Springs in 1999.
Ames was returning to his native state after more than three decades in Canada for a reunion with former classmates and get-togethers with new pizzeria friends. He kindled those new online relationships through the idea-fanning discussion oven of PMQ.com’s Think Tank. Think Tank power plugs Daddio and Bodega Highway served as half the panel for The Western Pizza Summit held at the iconic, 100-year-old Wholly Stromboli restaurant in Fort Lupton, Colorado, on July 15. Wholly Stromboli co-founder Melissa Rickman and Master Pizza mastermind and U.S. Pizza Team superstar Mike LaMarca were the other pizza panel provocateurs. They informed and entertained a lively crowd in Wholly Stromboli’s flapper-evoking, wholly kick-butt Speakeasy with wide-ranging riffs wrapping up with the impact of Colorado’s legalized reefer rules on restaurants.
Ames was returning to his native state after more than three decades in Canada for a reunion with former classmates and get-togethers with new pizzeria friends. He kindled those new online relationships through the idea-fanning discussion oven of PMQ.com’s Think Tank. Think Tank power plugs Daddio and Bodega Highway served as half the panel for The Western Pizza Summit held at the iconic, 100-year-old Wholly Stromboli restaurant in Fort Lupton, Colorado, on July 15. Wholly Stromboli co-founder Melissa Rickman and Master Pizza mastermind and U.S. Pizza Team superstar Mike LaMarca were the other pizza panel provocateurs. They informed and entertained a lively crowd in Wholly Stromboli’s flapper-evoking, wholly kick-butt Speakeasy with wide-ranging riffs wrapping up with the impact of Colorado’s legalized reefer rules on restaurants.
But back to Daddio and Bodega Highway—Think Tank nom de plumes for Ames and Hitchcock. Daddio runs a bustling pizzeria just 1,500 miles north of Denver in some rugged Canadian terrain where customers scale mini-mountain winter snowdrifts to earn their pizzas and wings at Daddio’s. Daddio himself told me that his pizza delivery drivers routinely have to contend with moose and bears. The softspoken family man, hunter, fisherman and avid nature photographer is sharp as a tack when it comes to sharing innovative ideas about marketing and operating an independent pizzeria. “I’ve been successful in a lot of jobs,” he says without a hint of arrogance. “Even solved electric power generation challenges for the Canadian government as a consultant in remote locations, but my greatest love, besides my family, is being part of the pizza business.” The Colorado native routinely wears a t-shirt sporting the Daddio’s logo and the words “Think About Pizza.”
Ames wraps his delivery vehicles in low-light reflecting
vinyl to combat the long northern nights and illuminate his "Think About Pizza” credo
for quirky Canadian customers. “I actively employ high- and low-tech marketing
solutions to drive my business, including a very active Facebook page, gift
card program and even fun contests,” he says. “But in the end, it’s the quality
of our ingredients and our pizzas that set us apart. As we say in all of our
promotional materials, that’s ‘because taste matters.’”
Steve Bodega Highway Hitchcock took a winding professional
road to arrive in his beloved Steamboat Springs, home of Soda Creek Pizza. Hitchcock
founded the take-out-only pizzeria 15 years ago after he and his wife picked
the 6,695-foot-elevation skier’s paradise to put down stakes. “My wife is from
Colorado and I had lived in Illinois, Minnesota, Europe and California before
stepping down from my national sales position with an outdoors product firm and
moved to Colorado without a job,” he explains. “We planned to stay in a bunch
of different towns when making our decision, but after spending a night in
Steamboat, we both said, ‘This is it!’” Now, the community-minded businessman
own a clothing boutique along with his sparkling pizza joint that offers
familiar favorites along with specialty pizzas like fresh Sockeye Salmon and
Elk-topped pies.
Between his two businesses, Hitchcock works considerable
hours. Still, he insists on making the time to support other Steamboat businesses. A skilled fly fisherman, he cherishes the natural wonders Colorado offers. “We raft, canoe, hike and mountain
bike together as a family in one of the greatest spots on Earth to enjoy those
activities,” Hitchcock says. “With Soda Creek Pizza, I have put together a team
who I trust to create ‘Best in the Boat’ award-winning pizza with unique, fresh
toppings and daily-made dough. We do this with solid point-of-service
technology and automated budgeting software that allows me the freedom to take
time off, recharge and appreciate my awe-inspiring surroundings. I truly
believe people in the pizza industry have a duty to themselves and their
families to get away from the store and reach out into their communities.”
Our PMQ crew parted ways with Daddio at the summit of the
Grand Mesa in Western Colorado where jagged snow-lined peaks gave way to rolling
flat-top vistas of green and blue. The separated Coloradoan spoke wistfully of
his mountainous birthplace and the pizza community that sustained him on his
journey home. “It’s remarkable that that you can travel all over this continent
and share a passion and a way of life with the great, dedicated people who work
in the pizza industry,” Daddio says as the slightest trace of a tear welled up
in one eye. “I love Canada and Alberta because that is where my family and my
livelihood reside. But the beauty of this Colorado wilderness is a memory you
can never forget. It sets your spirit free.”
Yes, Daddio, our Colorado journey with you and the experiences
we brought home with us to Mississippi are the images of dreams.
Thank you for being able to enjoy your journey back home and blog about Colorado and your love of pizza. Wonderful to see yiu!
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