In 1985, my parents, Joe & Janet Colombo, bought Karl Marks Pizza on the corner of 10th and College. We had cousins and uncles and aunts in Long Island who ran pizzerias, and in the early stages, their help and recipes were instrumental in creating our product—from Uncle Vinnie's pizza crust and baked ziti to Uncle Sonny's pesto sauce. Over the years, some recipes were tweaked and others simply evolved. Interestingly, our homemade bread recipe came to us from an industrious and headstrong woman who worked at the restaurant in the early years and knew we could do better than store-bought bread.
In 1987, with the restaurant up and running, and pride in what was created, we changed the name to Colombo's Pizza & Pasta. Over the years, you may have stopped in the restaurant for a quick pick-up order, a birthday party, or a weekly date with your spouse. You may have seen my dad working behind the counter or sitting at his office (table 15) sifting through the piles of paperwork and invoices, my mom may have made you a pizza, or perhaps I've served you lunch.
I could tell the story of Colombo's Pizza & Pasta as a glorious tale of bravery and inspiration, but the simple truth is that we have come to love our restaurant as we love this community, its people, its rivers, and its mountains. Colombo's is, in many senses, our home. We love to serve real and local food to our very real and local guests and we're grateful that we've had the opportunity to do so. We look forward to each day at the restaurant because it brings us closer to the community we love, to an extended family that has shared in our lives, and at our table for 35 amazing years and counting.
-Cassie Colombo, Owner