This wasn’t just another excuse to make a silly video, although it was fun. Nope, as part of my life list, I really want to seek out all that my neighborhood has to offer. I live in the nice and toasty city of Phoenix, Arizona. It’s hot here right now but I really do love my town. Phoenix and it’s surrounding cities have great restaurants, boutiques, sporting venues, and other hidden secrets that I want to explore. So on Fridays, I am hoping to post on a hidden gem that I think you should go to. And if you aren’t from the Phoenix area, I hope to provide recipes and other treasures so that you will want to come and visit me!
So today I want to start with a neighborhood pizzeria, Stumpy’s that is near and dear to my family. When Rebecca, my oldest daughter was in Kindergarten, we started her in a math and reading enrichment program called Kumon. It was a little tiny center and the rule was complete silence. Well I had 2 other kids who were 1.5 and 3 years old. What’s silence? So I would take Emily and Ben down the way to Stumpy’s to keep them fed and entertained. But what I got out of that experience was so much more than a slice of pizza and a form of diversion for our kids.
The fabulous husband and wife team of Stumpy’s is Debi and Chase Herrick. They know pizza. They actually met each other while working as teenagers at the original Streets of New York Pizzeria on 32nd Street and Cactus. Stumpy’s was open for 2 years before they bought the business. It’s been their “baby” now for 10 years. They have only 10 employees but the turnover is next to nothing with the average length of tenure being 7 years. Impressive.
Stumpy’s is my local version of Cheer’s. They know my name and my kids. You can’t walk in without seeing a familiar face with other customers. They have a wall with pictures of their customers or “family” as they call them spread across their wall. Our children comment on our family shot EVERY time we grab a slice of our favorite pepperoni pizza.
Debi says you can determine a good pizza restaurant by trying their pepperoni pizza. The quality of the cheese and pepperoni are essential for her and let’s her know if anything else would be worth trying.
Our family favorites include pepperoni, the Barbey (bbq chicken), and the Philly pizzas.
On my list to try:
The Butcher: Salami, pepperoni, sausage, canadian bacon, homemade meatballs, mozzarella, and optional garlic and jalapeno
The Whiteout: Olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh tomato, fresh basil, ricotta, mozzarella, and romano
The Wingding: Bleu cheese base, chicken breast tossed in a wing sauce of your choice, gorgonzola, cheddar, and jack
I was able to make 2 pizza with Debi- a pepperoni pizza and a bbq chicken pizza. Both were FABULOUS. But I stink at throwing dough in the air. Oh, but I will try again. In fact, the kids and I are going to make homemade dough next week and we are going to make a mess. And vertical throwing ability and height will be essential. But as you can tell by the video, Debi is an amazing dough thrower. And don’t underestimate that skill my friends- it’s liberating.
Stumpy’s is located at 1331 E. Northern Ave and is opened Monday-Saturday: 11AM – 9 PM. They are closed on Sundays as they need a day to rest. Debi states “We should be going to church but we are so tired that we stay in bed and watch Joel Osteen.” I love them. Visit them for great food and and a wonderful family atmosphere.
