2004 Year in Review

Maria's Pizza opens in Morrison

Maria's Pizza Palace on Main Street in Morrison.

Robb Schultz owner and chef at Maria's Pizza Palace.

About fifteen years ago the Mazzarisi brothers of Dixon finally perfected their pizza after spending years of trial and error. Forty years ago their parents came from Italy so the food they serve is unquestionably Italian.

Maria’s Pizza has always been a family operation with stores in Freeport, Dixon, Princeton, Amboy, and now Morrison. They all serve what people want, “Consistency and quality at a great price,” according to Joe Mazzarisi, owner of the Princeton Maria’s, who is helping get the Morrison pizzeria started. “We put on more ingredients and serve a quality pizza every time.”

Robb Schultz and his wife Julie opened the pizzeria on Main Street last week and they have been very busy. On Tuesday of this week they started serving sandwiches (Italian Beef, Sub, Meatball, etc) and pastas (Spaghetti, Mostaccioli, Lasagna, Ravioli, etc) in addition to pizzas. The customer response has been positive according to Schultz.

The dining room has a couple months of work left before it will open. Take-out and free delivery in town are available. With booths and tables there should be room for about 36 when the dining room is finished. Schultz has restored the original tin ceiling in the dining room along with removing the barn wood from the front to reveal the 1950’s front, which fits in with theme of downtown Morrison.

Schultz has been an employee and friend of the Mazzarisi family since he was in high school. At that time he worked 60 hours per week while going to school, so he is no stranger to the pizza business. Over the years he has kept in touch and helped out like part of the family.

Before opening Maria’s he owned Speed Zone, a slot car raceway, but a year ago he sold it and started looking for a place for his own restaurant. They looked in Dekalb and Prophetstown but Morrison is where he found the opportunity. The Morrison building needed the most work of any of the places he had looked at.

Because Schultz has worked in construction and electrical, fixing up the building himself saved him startup costs. His other business has been fixing up rental properties that his wife continues to manage. When he finishes the dining room, there are four apartments upstairs to be remodeled.

A spacious stainless steel kitchen is fully equipped and can be observed from the counter. Lots of homework and research had him traveling from New York for the dough-maker to Arkansas for the stone deck-ovens. Pizzas cook better in a stone-deck oven because the flame heats the stone evenly.

Joe’s brother, Steve Mazzarisi, owned a Maria’s Pizza just a block away in the old bakery and it did very well until it was sold. The new owner changed the recipes and lacked the quality of Maria’s. The restaurant closed. But Schultz added, “I’m here to stay.”

“I’m here to give a small community another choice,” he explained.

Maria’s is open six day per week: Tuesday through Thursday and Sundays 4:00 to 11 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 4:00 to Midnight. Those hours may be adjusted as the restaurant becomes established. There phone number is 772-7700. Schultz is hoping to add a lunch menu and specials.

by Barb Benson, theCity1.com
January 28, 2004