Story & Photos by Brenda Eggert Brader
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Mmmm ... among the most wonderful treats to eat from a list of comfort foods is pizza. Oregano, basil and the smells of warm bread waft from a pizza kitchen. You know you have found a tasty pizza, when you walk into a pizza shop and those smells tease your nose, making your mouth water.

Pizzano’s Pizza in Lake Wales is like that. The smells grab your senses as you rush to the counter to order. But you may have to wait in line, the store is busy. One of three Pizzano’s in the area (another in Winter Haven and one in Sebring), the Lake Wales store is at 1326 State Road 60 East, in the Orange Grove Shopping Center. Mike Marhi, who has opened the pizza shops, is originally from Michigan and brought the shops to Florida for a debut. That was 12 years ago. “My family has been in restaurants for at least 35 years,” said Mike, “And into pizza for about 15 years.”

The pizzas are products of family recipes and everything on the menu is made in house. That means the breads are fresh and the sauce is something like mother would make. A selection of items takes over the menu. Here are a few examples: speciality pizzas, garlic bread, wings and chicken tenderz, grinderz, pasta and even two kinds of dessert pizza -- cinnamon swirlz (they like the letter z) and those topped with fruit or chocolate. Salads keep the meal light, if you like, offering antipasto, a Greek salad, chef or chicken. Besides pizza the Grinderz are the next most popular – oven baked sandwiches for $6.99. You can even order a barbecue beef sandwich in this selection.

Ah, but the most popular pizza is the deluxe supreme. Even with the current trend of watching your waistline, Mike says he doesn’t see anything different when customers order their pizzas. “When it comes to pizza, people like their meats. You won’t find the vegetable-topped treats as popular as the standard fare. Pizzas usually exit two at a time,” he said. According to Mike the Hawaiian pizza has a following. The Philly cheese steak specialty pizza is very popular. Believe it or not, every third order taken from the shop is for a grinder.

Since pizza runs in his family, “there is always a family member here; always, no matter when you come in,” said Mike. Pizzano’s delivers or customers can dine in or take out. The Winter Haven store offers a dining room and a buffet. Both local Pizzano’s hours are 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight, Sunday. The Lake Wales number is 863-679-1045. In Winter Haven store is located at 3062 Cypress Gardens Road S.E. and can be reached at 863-326-1010.