One of the newest residents in Kings Park is also one of the newest business owners in St. James with the opening of St. James Pizza on Middle Country Road, adding another option of places to grab a slice in Smithtown.
For the owner Thomas, who declined to give his last name, having many other pizzerias in the area was not discouraging but encouraging when deciding where to open up shop.
“If there are numerous pizzerias in the area and they’ve been able to be successful for many years that shows that this could be a successful town for me,” he said.
This is the second pizzeria the 33-year-old Thomas has owned, selling his past Wantagh eatery at the age of 25. Thomas sold the restaurant because he wanted to try other careers, but ultimately came back to pizza, a business he is passionate about.
“I had a place in Nassau County for about four years. I ended up selling the business to try something else, doing sales for Cablevision,” he said. “At some point I realized that this is what I’m going to end up doing with my life, it’s what I enjoy doing the most.”
Thomas has been involved in the pizza business for a majority of the employed years of his life, starting out with his first job at 16-years-old, pizza delivery.
This corner store in a St. James strip was the ideal location for Thomas, who moved to Kings Park roughly three months ago.
“I was looking for a place close to home and you couldn’t find a better spot than this,” he said. “A beautiful spot in a nice area, a nice town, and a brand new store.”
Thomas wanted to keep the menu fairly simple but stated his margarita slice has become a favorite of the locals so far and boasted his pizzeria has “the best buffalo slice around.”
The 739 Middle Country Road location, which opened Sept. 20, offers delivery to St. James, Nesconset, and parts of Smithtown and Lake Grove.
The pizzeria is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. St. James Pizza could be reached by phone at 631-979-9600.
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