Pizza-truck sisters’ focus: ‘food, family, community’
The local business has won an award for ethics from the BBB.
The idea behind Bella Sorella Pizza was born 15 to 18 years ago when Elizabeth Corrado Weizman’s husband built a woodfired pizza oven on their farm.
“We had friends over all the time,” Weizman said. “Everybody was going crazy over this pizza.”
She said she started thinking about how she could sell the pizzas when she found a weekend workshop in Colorado. Weizman and her sister, Gail Corrado Okafor, attended the workshop and began brainstorming for their future business.
Weizman said she remembers one class in particular where they were asked to write down the key words that would be important when starting a business.
“The first three words we wrote were exactly the same,” Weizman said. “We wrote food, family and community, and we still run our business on those three words.”
More than a decade later, the first wood-fired pizza food truck in Dayton owned by the sisters was recently honored by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for their hard work and determination in creating trust with the community as they celebrate 10 years in business.
Bella Sorella’s wood-fired pizzas are inspired by their garden and Italian family heritage. The dough is made fresh weekly with only four ingredients, and the toppings are grown in Weizman’s home garden.
“It’s been challenging the last couple of years,” Weizman said. “It was really great for us to experience something so positive.”
The Torch Award for Ethics recognizes businesses annually that are doing things right and meeting the highest standards of excellence, said John North, president and CEO of the BBB serving Dayton and the Miami Valley.
He said hundreds of business were nominated, and over a dozen completed the nomination application process.
“Business success just doesn’t happen,” North said. “It takes hard work and determination, but it also takes a reputation of
quality, follow-through and treating their customers and employees the right way. Bella Sorella is a shining example and really embodies the BBB’s mission of advancing business trust.”
North explained that the BBB saw firsthand how Bella Sorella treats their clients and employees.
“It sounds corny, but my sister always says we really do prepare food with love,” Weizman said. “We love to make good food for people.”
Weizman said they couldn’t do it without their employees, who are just as passionate and loyal to their company as they are.
She said she appreciates that the BBB honors businesses that have built trust with their employees and community.
“We need more integrity in the world,” Weizman said. “We need more kindness, honesty, all those things we try to keep in our business culture.”
Bella Sorella caters mostly private events, but they also visit the Yellow Springs Brewery once or twice a month. For more information or to view their event calendar, visit www.bellasorellapizza.com or their Facebook page.