What if we told you that Radon has one of the best pizzas we’ve tasted recently! Let us tell you the unusual story of a family who cooks pizzas at their home and customers come to pick them up at the drive-thru.
Posted at 11:00 am
Waldo DeLay, a pilot for a major airline, also has a passion for good food. Before the pandemic, he had regular connections between Montreal and Rome. With colleagues, he likes to find addresses off the beaten track. “If it’s spoken in the local language, that’s a good sign! “, he commented.
Photo provided by Waldo Peppers
Waldo Delay and Cybele Major as part of the O’Pazzariello team in Rome, including Carlos Losardo, owner, and Rosario Sigillo, Chef Pizzaiolo
One day, he stepped into O’Pazarillo, a small restaurant near the Vatican. Then he went again and again. “One day, I brought them maple syrup and they adopted me! “Said the pilot. He befriended the owner and the chef, two pizza makers who agreed to teach him the secrets of their Neapolitan pizza. Cybele Major, his wife, later learned the basics of this art with him.
In Radon, where the couple lived with their four children, he liked to host friends for pizza evenings that allowed him to refine the techniques and recipes he learned in Italy. “Our family likes to eat pizza, but we wanted to try flavors other than pepperoni-cheese. We started a Facebook page and when I pointed out that the oven was open, our friends showed up! says Waldo Delay.
Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
Waldo Peppers is the house where magic happens
Then came the pandemic.
Clinging to the ground, the pilot tells himself that his dream is now or never: opening a pizzeria. Cybele Major, who owns a wedding event business, also suddenly has a lot of free time. And we had to find a way to generate new revenue. In the fall of 2020, Waldo Peppers was thus born!
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
At Waldo Peppers, you pick up your pizza at the drive-thru!
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
An old dining room has been converted into a kitchen with a pizza oven imported from Italy. Friends and people in the community helped the family in many ways.
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
Cybèle Major takes orders over the phone, then gives customers a pick-up time.
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A transformed house
Soon friends and locals embraced Waldo Peppers — the pilot’s first name was a nod to the inspiration behind the film. The Great Waldo Pepper. Then word of mouth did its job.
At first I couldn’t believe myself that I was coming here early for pizza!
Cybele Major
First set up in their kitchen, with their stove working at full speed, the family had to face reality: a part of the house had to be converted into a functional kitchen to meet the demands and requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries. and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ) for a catering permit.
Because Waldo Peppers isn’t a restaurant, it’s a caterer. So customers waiting for their orders outside the house will pick up all the pizzas in “curbside pick-up” mode.
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
The whole family gets involved! William helps his father make and bake pizzas. His favorites: Waldo peppers and smoked salmon.
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
Heidi, 13, tops a S’mores pizza.
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
Wendy and Kobe have mastered assembling pizza boxes!
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The dining room has been sacrificed to accommodate a pizza oven imported from Italy and everything Waldo needs to make his delicious pizzas. 17 years older, William helps him. Heidi and Wendy, 13 and 12, respectively, help their mother take orders on the phone, deliver pizzas to customers and arrange boxes with their younger sister, Coby, 9. Heidi is also responsible for topping the decadent S’mores pizza with Nutella, graham crackers and marshmallows…
Starting with a small, very limited and very traditional menu of six flavors, the menu has expanded with more North American-influenced creations and now has around forty choices of pizzas, as well as fresh pastas. , featuring salads and desserts.
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
On the menu, the classic margherita is clearly…
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
… made with pancetta topped with Waldo peppers, Italian sausages and a mountain of mushrooms…
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
… al salmone, garnished with smoked salmon, capers, mozzarella and arugula.
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
S’mores are the finishing touch for pizza
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Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
The pasta and tomato sauce recipes are from O’Pazarillo.
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“Our goal is to reproduce O’Pazzarillo’s pizza to the best of our abilities, as you would in Rome,” says Waldo Delay. Flour, tomato sauce, quality ingredients, nothing stands a chance. Waldo Pepper’s pizzas are not only good, they are amazing.
On a roll
A look at the reviews on Google confirms this with an almost perfect rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars.
We were really surprised by the demand. We have clients from all over Quebec. There are even people from Little Italy who have heard about our pizzas.
Cybele Major
She said they offer a “70%” cooked pizza option for those who can’t eat quickly. Once you get home, you can cook for a few minutes in the oven at maximum power.
Photo by Francois Roy, Pres
Lunch time at Waldo Peppers!
With success in mind, the family decides to continue the adventure, even if Waldo is late resuming his work. Despite the high demands of wedding planning, Cybele Major devoted herself entirely to Waldo Peppers and hired a full-time chef.
How about a pizzeria in your house? “It’s a little unique, but it is fun ! Heidi comments. “Of course it’s not always easy, even for adults. But Waldo Peppers is a whole family business, which also belongs to the children,” adds Sybel Major.
following ? This time a real restaurant opening is on the cards. A project that considers family one step at a time in time and space. Like a good pizza!
Waldo Peppers is open Thursday, 4-8 p.m., then Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Pre-order by phone, messenger or Instagram and car pickup on site.
3153.7e Avenue, Rawdon
