10/02/2026
From California to the Heart of Missouri: Our Story ♥️ 🍕🍝 ✨
They say life takes you where you’re meant to be, and for us, that journey led us from California to Missouri in late 2017. We packed our bags with one goal: to care for Charlie’s mom, who had moved here a few years prior.
Life didn't go exactly as planned, but looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing. When Charlie’s career in concrete pumping didn’t translate to the local concrete mix, he pivoted to something unexpected—becoming a janitor at Shell K**b School. It was a role he absolutely loved, and more importantly, it introduced us to so many wonderful people in this community.
Then, fate intervened. An opportunity to buy a local, family-owned Italian restaurant appeared. With Brooke’s sister previously in the pizza business, we took a leap of faith. We spent our days working our 9-to-5 jobs, and our evenings learning the secrets of authentic, fresh Italian cooking from the original owners. To this day, we still keep in contact with the Geraldi family and continue to use the precious Geraldi family recipe book, keeping things homemade, fresh, and delicious, just as they intended.
It hasn’t always been easy. We faced the challenges of the pandemic and, in 2023, a life-altering injury for Brooke. After 9 surgeries and three years of difficult recovery, Charlie held the restaurant together with the help of our incredible staff, all while caring for Brooke at home and in the hospital.
Brooke is on the mend, and though the road wasn't easy, she is back, persevering, and fully involved in the place we love so much.
Our success isn't just about food—it’s about you. Your loyalty has kept our doors open through a tough economy, and it has allowed us to give back to our community in ways we never imagined. This includes holding benefits for families in need, as well as supporting local organizations, non-profits, schools, and churches.
We also believe that our "work family" deserves that same love and kindness. We look after our employees the same way we would our own kids—from providing bonuses and help during unexpected life events, to assisting with vehicle repairs, car registrations, and even helping them secure housing and most recently catering a wedding reception. We believe in lifting each other up, both inside and outside these walls.
Speaking of family, we are so incredibly excited to share that we will become “work grandparents” for the very first time this Spring! We truly cannot wait to spoil this new little addition to our family.
We are also excited to share that we are growing in other ways, too! We are on our way to California to bring our youngest daughter, Tory, home to join us at the ranch and the restaurant. We can't wait for you all to meet her.
Finally, because animals have played such a vital role in Brooke’s recovery and healing, she is bringing something special to the restaurant soon: her mini therapy ponies! We can't wait to see your faces (and your children’s eyes) light up.
Building lifelong friendships and opening our lives up to this community—that is what this journey is all about.
If you haven’t already, please like, follow, and share our page. Come dine with us and enjoy some of our signature dishes as well as our new homemade creations—we can't wait to chat with you and share your own stories. We look forward to seeing each and every one of you!
With love and gratitude,
Charlie & Brooke ♥️
