LAKEPORT — It”s no secret the costs to start-up a business can be overwhelming. That”s why co-owners Eileen Meo and Michael Woodbury of the new Main Street Pizza restaurant combined their restauranteur/construction backgrounds to create a mostly-recycled interior at their new downtown Lakeport business.
Occupying part of the former Ashley”s Restaurant, the gourmet pizza company fashioned its style based on the 1800s, and used materials found on Craigslist and former restaurants. “Being short on money, we found used materials that brought about a lot of creative ideas,” Meo said.
An upstairs dining section exudes an 1800s saloon atmosphere, with a hand-bent copper railing leading up the staircase, flanked by hand-milled wood, ducting, self-installed lights, and recycled tempered glass.
Woodbury has a construction background, which helped the co-owners save costs during the three-month-long remodel.
Even longer was a four-month-long process devising the perfect dough and pizza sauce recipes. After searching “high and low” for an affordable pizza dough roller, they found one that bears a plaque: “eat more pizza.” And the double-decker brick oven was found on Craigslist and taken apart to transport from the Bay Area to Lakeport, Meo said. “We saved a lot of money, we paid one-third of the cost.”
Woodbury crafted a two-tier counter flanked by painted-on chalk boards listing a menu of 10 gourmet pizzas, all named after friends. The redwood originally came from the former Moon on the Lake restaurant down the street. Then the wood was used as paneling in the former Dutch Treat before finding its way to Main Street Pizza.
Meo and Woodbury are both long-time Lake County residents. Meo has spent many years in the restaurant business. Her family owns Sicily”s Italian Restaurant and Skyroom Lounge off of Highland Springs Road, which moved from its old home at the former Dutch Treat location on Main Street, Lakeport.
Anticipating the upcoming downtown Lakeport renovation slated to begin this summer, which aims to encourage business owners to remodel in 1800s/early 1900s style, Meo and Woodbury, who rent the historic, former Monroe building, strove to make the interior reflect the overall downtown goal.
“We did the interior with an 1800s theme to match the downtown transformation,” Meo said.
Meo and Woodbury have a mantra when making their pizza. “The dough is really alive. It has to rest for 48 hours and it grows. It”s like holding a little baby. Michael holds it in his hands and says ?nice pizza, for nice people.” It”s a nice mantra to have.”
She said in the month they”ve been open, they”ve had a good stream of business and “good response” from customers. “It”s gourmet, made-to-order pizza from the finest ingredients, with a loving touch ? and that describes Michael making the pizza,” Meo said.
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com
