A new pizza place and deli opened on February 20 at 1 Market Place, Unit 13, in the red-painted plaza off Susie Wilson Road in Essex. At Pizzeria Corinna, owner Shane Corbett and his team serve whole pies, slices, subs and salads for takeout or on-site dining.
Named for Corbett’s 6-year-old daughter, the business is modeled on pizza shops of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Corbett said. Ben Veilleux, his stepson, is the kitchen manager.
“We’re bringing back the classics,” Corbett said.
The menu features six pies to start, including cheese, pepperoni, supreme and hot honey with arugula — which comes topped with a pile of fresh-dressed greens. The Italian-inspired sandwiches are nearly all named after characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, such as the Donatello with salami, pepperoni, hot capicola ham and provolone.
Those subs are served on seeded semolina rolls baked in-house by Olivia Clemons of Oh Live Bakery, a small-batch biz in central Vermont.
Corbett, 43, started working in front-of-house restaurant roles at Essex Junction’s now-closed Lincoln Inn when he was 15. After jobs at chain restaurants, he launched Taco Gordo’s original Church Street food cart with Charlie Sizemore in 2014. Most recently, he sold insurance.
Corbett’s path back to the restaurant world involved storing a commercial pizza oven and 80-quart mixer for a friend who was trying to sell them.
“I looked at it for months,” Corbett said of the oven in his garage. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time and finally said, ‘If I find the right spot, I’ll do it.’”
The Essex resident signed the lease on the former Wicked Wings spot on Halloween and updated the space with the help of friends and family. Pizzeria Corinna features a bit of wood paneling from its former tenant, tile floors and a bathroom mural hand-painted by employee Kori Schneider. Soon, a Tiffany-style lamp à la Pizza Hut will complete the nostalgic vibe.
The 14-seat restaurant stays open late, until 10 p.m., on Friday and Saturday; Corbett hopes to extend hours until midnight in the future. Eventually, he plans to offer in-house delivery.
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