March to this new pizza beat

BALLARAT’S new pizza place is a true family corner store, ready to welcome and celebrate its community.

Soldiers Woodfired Pizzeria in Soldiers Hill is the passion project of business partners and former car dealers, Todd Sainty and Justin Kroussoratis.

Born and bred in Ballarat, the pair have been mates since high school, and after exiting the automotive industry with 25 years of customer service experience, they were keen on further collaboration.

“Justin and I were walking the lake one day and he said, ‘you’ve always wanted to get into hospitality, so let’s start a pizza shop’,” Mr Sainty said.

“We wanted to be slightly out of the city, so we started looking at Solders Hill. We love the area and this location on Macarthur and Doveton streets because the community is fantastic.

“As we’ve been working on the space, the community has welcomed us, dropping in to say hi and have a look.”

Offering 17 “classic Neapolitan-style” pizzas, some children’s options, and drinks, Soldiers’ aim is to serve high quality food, made with fresh, locally sourced produce.

Both raising teenage sons, Mr Sainty and Mr Kroussoratis already have a strong, growing team of energetic young employees on the pizza peel.

“Our boys and their friends are old enough to work in the business, so being able to involve them is another fantastic side of Soldiers,” Mr Sainty said.

Ultimately, Mr Kroussoratis said the pizza shop “is all about” having fun.

“We’ve been in the corporate world for too long where the pressure’s always on, and it doesn’t stop,” he said.

“We just want to offer the community a great dining experience; a small, local woodfired pizzeria.

“We’re not out to break records, just good old-fashioned customer service where people leave and think, ‘how cool was that!’”

Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, Soldiers will operate five evenings a week. They’re exploring the idea of serving lunch on weekends and hosting live music events.

Visit bit.ly/35Zz50e.