Restaurateur couple gets back to their roots in pizza
Pizza brought them together, and now they’re bringing pizza to the people of Columbia.
William and Jonna McClain, the owners of CollegeTown Pizzeria of 3910 Peachtree Drive, met when Jonna was waitressing at one of William’s pizza establishments in Cherry Creek, Colo. They began dating, eventually married and in 1998 moved to Columbia, Jonna McClain’s hometown.
In 2000, William McClain, who has been in the restaurant business for 35 years, said he temporarily tried his hand at construction. He said that though he enjoyed it, he missed the restaurant atmosphere, so he and his wife set out to create CollegeTown Pizzeria.
William McClain said he was taught the art of pizza making by two Italians he met while in Colorado.
“They really know the pizza business, and they’re very successful,” he said. “Their pizza is basically what I’m serving today.”
With true Italian influence, CollegeTown Pizzeria William McClain said the restaurant is different than the everyday institutionalized pizza place.
“The main difference is that we keep everything fresh, fresh, fresh,” he said.
William McClain said at the restaurant they hand-toss the dough everyday and throw away what is left over. He also said they cook as many things as they can from scratch, including sausage and meatballs. They also prefer to use fresh vegetables. “It’s a little labor-intensive this way, but it just tastes better and is easier to work with,” he said.
William McClain recommends the spinach pizza pie and the white Pizza to first-time customers. The spinach pizza pie consists of spinach cooked in olive oil, fresh garlic and other spices. It also includes black olives and two layers of mozzarella cheese placed in between two medium Neapolitan crusts. The white pizza is unusual because it has no tomato sauce on it. Instead, it is a cheese pizza that includes diced Roma tomatoes that are marinated in fresh olive oil, basil, oregano and fresh garlic.
“The white and the spinach are really unique and really good things that are out of the ordinary,” he said. “I’d like people to try them because I think they’d want to keep coming back for them.”
As of right now, McClain said he and his wife are only serving pizza and calzones. However, in the future, they might extend their menu to include sandwiches and might begin serving beer.
William McClain said the name CollegeTown Pizzeria was chosen in case they decide to start a franchise or sell the business in the future. William McClain said his main concern is to run a successful business and make a good living so he and his wife can relax later in life.