PIZZAS PRODUCED WITH PASSION, PRINTS WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH
Get ready to say ‘wow’ to fantastic pies, colourful designs, writes Erin Petrow.
Take a bite and get ready to say, “Wow!”
After opening its doors across the street from the University of Saskatchewan on College Drive in November, Wow Pizza is already a hit, but that’s not surprising to co-owner Sanjay Joshi.
He said the idea to open the shop came after Gary Singh, Joshi’s business partner — and the pizzeria’s primary pizza chef — made him a pizza.
“He’s very passionate about making pizzas,” Joshi said. “I made him make some pizzas for me and the taste itself, when I had that pizza for the first time, I said, ‘It’s wow pizza — just fantastic.’”
The restaurant offers deals for dine-in and takeout customers as well as convenient delivery options through its website and on Skip the Dishes and Uber Eats.
Joshi said several things set Wow Pizza apart from others in Saskatoon.
The menu includes unexpected options — like butter chicken, achari chicken, mac and cheese or lemon pepper paneer pizzas — alongside traditional favourites.
The partners have also perfected their signature sauce and crust recipes and people seem to love it.
Customers regularly mistake the 100 per cent locally owned business for a franchise.
“I haven’t yet come across a customer who was throwing out the crust,” Joshi said. “They like to eat the whole pizza, and that gives us a good feeling that people are liking it. Because the crust is so light, people get to taste more of the flavours in the sauce and meat.”
Soon it will become even easier to get a Wow Pizza fix. Joshi and his partner have been finalizing plans to open two more locations in the city.
“The goal is to give customers flavour and taste and not to fill up the stomach by offering a very heavy base or crust,” Joshi said. Wow Pizza
Owners: Sanjay Joshi and Gurwinder (Gary) Singh
Address: Unit B-1402 College Dr. Hours: Sunday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Phone: 306-665-6666 Website: wowpizza.ca Check: Facebook and Instagram
PURPLE TOUCH DESIGNS
Most people have likely seen Jonathan Vallarta’s work numerous times around Saskatoon.
After starting his printing and design business Purple Touch Designs in 2011 as a hobby and a way to earn a bit of extra money from home, Vallarta decided it was time to expand it into a full-service business at its new location on 22nd Street.
Now, thanks to great reviews and word-of-mouth references, he is busier than ever, creating and printing signs for businesses and wrapping vehicles — even ice cream bikes — to create full-colour designs guaranteed to get a business noticed.
“My favourite project is wrapping a car — I love cars and I love working on cars,” he said.
Purple Touch Designs also provides other printing and marketing services, including website development, graphic design services, canvas printing, photo books, banners and large-format printing.
No matter how large or small the project, Vallarta is always confident in the finished product thanks to his dedication to using quality materials and inks.
When a customer comes in, whether with an idea or simply an image they want printed, Vallarta said his favourite part of the process is communicating with his clients to make sure their exact vision is perfectly realized.
To do this, he has a team of graphic designers to help bring ideas to life.
“I like being able to talk to the owners directly to get the details of what they want,” Vallarta said of the creative process.
“I love designing and I want to help people build their businesses ... because right now you need high-quality, catchy designs to get more customers.”
Purple Touch Designs Owner: Jonathan Vallarta Address: 1017 22nd St. West Hours: Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phone: 306-262-4091 Website: purpletouchdesigns.com Check: Facebook and Instagram
Erin Petrow is a reporter at The StarPhoenix. If you have started, expanded or moved a small business in Saskatoon within the last few months, contact her at epetrow@ postmedia.com. Follow Erin on Twitter @petr0w