By By KATHIE HEMPEL / Niles Daily Star
NILES – The first hint of subtle change is a pastry brush in a container of olive oil, sitting on the counter.
"The whole story is simply my desire for good tasting flavorful food. It comes from my Italian heritage – good food and the proper spicing of things," said Angelo Roncari, chef at Angelo's Pine Lake Pizza, formerly Pine Lake Pizza.
The business located at 114 N. Third St., Niles, reopened its doors April 1 with Kathy Dinges as the new owner.
If the names sound familiar, they are. Roncari and Dinges partner professionally with Roncari Thayer Jewelers as well.
Why would a jewelry designer take to creating pizzas?
"Mother not only taught me to sew, but she also taught me to cook. In high school I worked for a pizza maker for the last two years. Always after that I kind of desired to have one of my own," Roncari said.
He wants to be known as a chef, as he believes there is a big difference between a chef and a cook. Chef Angelo makes his own sauces for the pizza, the spaghetti and for dipping. He said his cheese blend makes a special difference and his garlic butter is extra special. Roncari works to capture the flavor that is the compromise of garlic and onion indicative of Sicilian Southern Italy, he said.
He was born in the little town of Arzignano near the city of Torino in Italy. It is the flavor and the food of the Mediterranean region he wants to bring to his culinary creations.
Roncari is keeping 75 percent of the original Pine Lake menu for now. He has added his own homemade meatballs, spiced sausage and al dente linguine. All the changes he is making he said are as subtle as his use of olive oil, rather than vegetable oil.
"One reason I took over from Richard Moore was that Richard had good food. When I first came down to Niles from Cadillac, it was the first place I ate. When he closed, I kept coming by to check. When the 'for sale' sign went up, I thought how many others like me enjoyed the product and the downtown location," Roncari said.
The other day, he recalled, a mother and her young daughter visited the restaurant. He said the girl did not want any pizza, but he challenged her to just smell the aroma. She ate the whole thing.
"I have just tweaked the food according to what I know from my family's cooking. One man, who came in since we opened a week ago, started picking the onions out of the sauce. He's one in the 100 who have been here during the week. You can't please everybody," he said.
Roncari describes himself as a mix of everything – an artist, sculptor and designer. His talent in mechanics he said came from his father and his cooking skill from his mother.
Angelo's Pine Lake Pizza will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and extend to a 10 p.m. closing over the weekend. Roncari is hoping that adding home delivery, which the former business discontinued a couple of years ago, will allow the hours to be extended even more.