Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Katchuba.
Hi Sean, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As far back as I can remember I have always dreamt of having a Pizzeria, boxes stacked to the ceiling, pizzas coming out of the oven, the smells, and my family recipes. I have always been a self motivator and Ive tried in the past but it didn’t work out. When I found out I was going to have a son it was like a lightning bolt struck my motivation again, when I saw his face I knew what I wanted to do. With tremendous support from the Mother of my child, Kerry and our families I knew it was time to not just follow my dreams but to make them a reality for my son Anthony (AJ). At the time this started I was making the most money I ever had, I had a great job and life was good BUT it wasn’t my dream. I saw Little Italy Pizza a independently owned pizzeria which is a staple on the eatside in Eastpointe and the pizza is OUTSTANDING, I mean the best pizza I’ve ever had. The owner was older and had the place for over 50 years perfecting the product but wanted to retire. So I quit my job and bought a pizzeria, Little Italy Pizza is now mine, and as nervous as I was now having a family to support, not for one second was Kerry nervous, it is like she knew more than I did that it was going to be OK. That is the kind of support that I get, and I believe that is the main reason we are in the position we are today. As soon as I bought Little Italy Pizza I started working on my plan, the plan that I have had for many years but it just felt different. I am no longer doing this for me, and I guess that was the spark I always needed. I got a website, I immediately branded the store (with my son as the focal point), set up procedures and started running this little pizzeria like it was multi-million dollar corporation. Next I surrounded myself with the best people I knew who wanted to go on a wild ride with me and who saw what my goal was and we ran. 7 months after buying Little Italy I opened the Roseville store, 4 months later I bought another store in Warren. In the first year we went from 1 store to 3 stores, and this year we are working on deals for another 2 stores. It has been a wild ride but we haven’t even started yet, I am laser focussed on completing this dream with my Son Anthony as the face of the brand. With the team I have around me and the amazing support I have in my life, nothing can stop us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is nothing easy about selling food especially in today’s world, there are struggles every day.
I would say that the biggest struggle in this journey so far was starting Roseville and having the other store support it while it was getting rolling. However the staff really stepped up and took it under its wing and that brief time where it was rough is in the rearview. I have always said that if it isn’t a struggle then it’s not worth it and maybe my outlook is different but I do not see struggles I see another way of learning and teaching.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are more than just the BEST pizza around, we have wings, salads, subs, pasta, fried ravioli etc… and lets not forget our invention of the Pizza Fries, you’ve heard of poutine or coney fries well these are Pizza fries. Inspired by my son when I watched him double fist eat a piece of pizza and French fries at the same time. Our menu is diverse and we make al lot of the items from scratch. Our pizza sauce, my family pasta sauce, we make 2 different types of dough for our pizza. Our desserts, we have desserts and snacks that no other “to-go” pizzerias have. We make tiramisu, strawberry shortcake cake, and we have another one of our inventions of cannoli “chips and dip”, the best way to share a cannoli. I said we make 2 different doughs for our pizza, we have one for our hand tossed round and then one for our award winning Detroit style square pizza. I have said it over and over, I will go head to head in a blind taste test with ANY other Detroit style pizza, heck I’ll go head to head with anyone with the hand tossed too. Our pizza sauce is my secret the has been passed down to me through the Little Italy years and it makes our pizza unforgettable. We hand prep all the toppings every day and use high end ingredients and we do this while still being the most reasonable priced in the area.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Family! With out question my Family means the world to me. Nothing is anything with out my family. My son is what I am most proud of, regardless of anything that I accomplish. My son is my drive, my passion, he is the reason I work so hard, he is the reason for every decision I make.
With out my family I wouldn’t be anything what I am today, I have 2 of the greatest parents ON THE PLANET, my Father is one of the smartest men I have ever met and my mother is the very definition of the word. As the oldest of 12, they had their work cut out for them but that never stopped them from being perfect parents. My upbringing is what makes me who I am on a daily basis, and I will forever be thankful to God for giving me the family I have.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.littleitalypizzami.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littleitalypizzami/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567723186417
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHNJ1DqzbB99YSaFkTBq6Eg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@littleitalypizzami?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
