For Mattioli Pizzeria owners, lifelong love turned into entrepreneurship

The Bevans love pizza.

They even have their own pizza oven at their Seabeck home.

Mike and Laurie Bevan opened Mattioli Pizzeria in Silverdale Jan. 30 and hosted the pizza shop’s grand opening Feb. 13.

Mike’s love for pizza started when he was young.

“Long ago and far away, I grew up in Chicago where we love pizza,” he said.

As a teenager, he and his family moved to California where he worked in a pizza shop and loved every minute of it.

Mike and Laurie visited Italy in 2007 and that trip solidified their desire to open their own place.

Mattioli Pizzeria is located in the former Garlic Jim’s spot on Bucklin Hill Road, kitty-corner to Central Kitsap High School. The pizza shop serves up American-style and Italian-style pizza as well as salads, drinks and even beer.

The pizza shop is named after Laurie’s Italian grandmother whose maiden name was Mattioli.

Mike said they make their own dough and red sauces. Italian-style pizzas have thinner crusts than American pizzas and they have raw tomato sauce on them. Laurie said the Margherita Italian-style pizza with fresh mozzarella and basil drizzled with olive oil is a customer favorite.

“Our Italian pizza is a thinner crust and more rustic looking,” Laurie said.

Mattioli Pizzeria has speciality pizzas ranging from the Mighty Meat to the Hawaiian Holiday.

“We did continue some that we heard were favorites of the area,” Laurie said.

Mike and Laurie spend a lot of time creating and tasting new pizzas for the Mattioli Pizzeria menu. Laurie said before they opened for business, they ate lots and lots of pizza.

“You have to taste a lot of pizza,” Mike said. “We knew exactly what we wanted and had to get it.”

Mike and Laurie said they’ve received nothing but good comments so far about Mattioli Pizzeria and they gain more and more customers every day.

“We get a lot of good comments,” Mike said. “The worst comment we’ve gotten is ‘good.’ They really love the crust.”

Laurie said she and Mike eat at Mattioli Pizzeria almost every night and still love pizza as much as ever.

“Sometimes we’re customers and sometimes we’re doing quality control,” Mike said with a smile.

Like other pizza shops, Mattioli Pizzeria offers take-out and delivery services, but the pizza shop also boasts indoor and outdoor tables so customers can enjoy their pizza at the restaurant.

The pizza shop’s motto, “A slice of Italy,” is seen and heard throughout the establishment as photos from the Bevans’ trip to Italy line the walls and Italian tunes fill the air.

“What better way to end the day than with a slice of pizza?” Laurie said.