New Dominion Tourist Magazine
http://www.newdominiontourist.com/

Pizza and good tunes: Shenandoah Pizza has become a Staunton music hotspot

 


 

 

 The gentle wafts of gourmet pizza draw you in from Beverley Street. Sharing the Shenandoah Pizza air with the aroma are the sounds of music.

“A customer said it might not be a bad idea to get somebody in there strumming a little music maybe one night a week,” said owner John Huggins, and being a smart guy he listened, and initiated what the musicians have taken to calling the Playing for Pizza music series that has grown from Wednesday nights back when Shenandoah Pizza opened five years ago into live performances several nights a week today.

“One thing led to another, and I’m booked months-out now,” said Huggins, who has involved himself more and more in the local music scene since starting those once-a-week shows at Shenandoah Pizza.

Huggins jumped on board with the new Staunton Music Guild when it launched in 2009, and with his wife, Cheryl, debuted a new concert series, Shenandoah Concerts, that same year.

“I guess I’ve come to realize that I’m a natural-born promoter. It’s something that
I like to do. It just comes easy to me,” said Huggins, who spends as much time chatting up patrons as he does in the kitchen at Shenandoah Pizza, which he and his wife opened in 2006 after moving to Staunton from North Carolina.

Both had been successful in other business – John in contracting and real estate, Cheryl in mobile computer repair and support. But opening a pizza shop had been a life’s dream for John Huggins.

That he uses his life’s dream to help musicians work on theirs is par for the course with Huggins.

“We want to see young musicians and up-and-coming musicians have a place to play,” Huggins said. “All we’re doing is we’re doing a good service trying to give them a place to perform and work on their craft. And we feed them and make sure they have gas money and are taken care of. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
 

 


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Thursday, April 1, 2010

 

Staunton is a small town blessed with an abundance of artistic and cultural attractions, visual beauty, and extraordinary cuisine for a small town. One place I especially like is Shenandoah Pizza. I can already hear folks groaning when I mention a pizza joint among great cuisine. Well, Shenandoah Pizza is not just any pizza joint. They use fresh ingredients, unique topping combinations, several types of sauces, and intriguing dough mixes. Most of their meats are organic or grass-fed from local sources. The restaurant owner, John Huggins, is an absolutely great guy. He will always take the time to visit with his customers and develop relationships with them. He will explain things on the menu in great detail and will suggest beers to best match your taste cravings from their extensive beer list (I've never seen such a selection of beer, I think they have 200 plus). He's a big supporter of the arts and the local Valley music scene, hosting musical acts at the restaurant and featuring works by local artists available for purchase on the walls. Johnnie and his wife Cheryl opened Shenandoah Pizza about five years ago, and they have developed a very loyal customer base. 

I've had several different types of pizza at the restaurant: white pizzas, traditional cheese, pepperoni, on wheat, on white, on sunflower wheat, and several of the gourmet selections. They have all been excellent. Everything tastes absolutely fresh. Sometimes when I eat pizza I notice an almost stale taste to the dough. That's never the case at Shenandoah Pizza, as a matter of fact their dough is far and away superior to any other I have tried. Another nice touch is the bottle of olive oil on the table- it goes especially well with the white pizzas. Of the gourmet selections I've had the Sherwood Avenue (meatballs, ricotta, red onions, mozzarella); The Valley (spinach, red onion, mozzarella, tomato); The Augusta Margherita (extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, basil, fresh mozzarella); and the Chicken Florentine (spinach, garlic, chicken, ). In all, the restaurant features 25 gourmet pies and a few special ones from time to time.

Johnnie can take pride in the fact that his restaurant is ranked number one in Staunton on Trip Advisor. That's nothing to scoff at considering the stiff competition in this cultural and culinary gem of a town. If you are in the mood for some gourmet pizza, a tremendous selection of beer, or some live, local music or artwork while visiting the Shenandoah Valley, make sure to stop in and visit Johnnie at Shenandoah Pizza.

Photo taken by Sara Zeglin

 
Shenandoah Pizza has a business formula that works
Staunton News Leader, VA 
By Maria Longley/staff

Customers walking into Shenandoah Pizza these days are finding a restaurant very different from the one they knew a half-block away ...

Read more

 
 
 

 

 

 eightyone serving Augusta, Waynesboro, and Staunton Shenandoah Pizza voted "Best Pizza"

Food, Glorious Food
Where locals get the grub they love
by Kirsten Parmer/dining@eightyone.info

It’s human nature to want what you don’t have. Our annual reader survey – which in late 2007 focused on local food and dining – was no different. Readers from Harrisonburg voted mostly for Harrisonburg restaurants, yet considered Staunton to be the best dining town.

Shenandoah Pizza
Best Pizza

A pizza can’t be any better than the sum of its parts; so if those parts include the highest-quality ingredients, it’s bound to be one fine pie. John Huggins scrutinized pizza parlors up and down the East coast before moving from the Outer Banks to Staunton and opening Shenandoah Pizza two years ago. What he found was simple—use the best ingredients you can find and you’ll make the best pizza. They’ve already outgrown their original location and moved to a new renovated place up Beverley Street serving just that: the best pizza. Many are named after familiar local spots—Sherando, Beverley, Queen City, Blue Ridge and even Dairy-Rite.

Read more www.eightone.info