Jovani's Pizza returns with a new owner; delivery

Blackwell's own pizzeria, Jovani's Pizza, is starting the new year with a new owner.

Michael Vest, the restaurant's former cook, is now the owner. He said he was “thrilled” to talk about the return of the restaurant and what makes Jovani's stand out from the rest.

“I've held pretty much every job in the pizza business and worked at just about every pizza place and chain you can think of,” Vest said. “I've always said that what really sets us here at Jovani's apart from the rest, like Pizza Hut and the major chains, is that our dough is made fresh every morning the old fashioned way. It's not frozen, left over night, and thawed out. That's what gives it such a rich taste.”

The eatery, located at the intersection of 13th Street and Doolin Avenue, will once again offer pizza delivery. It also has a new menu.

According to Vest, receiving online input and spending years working with the restaurant were two “crucial parts” in understanding what could be done to make Jovani's “more viable.”

“Working as a cook, I kind of took note of what we made more or less of, and that went into changing up the menu some. Some things have been taken off, and some things have been put on. Of course, the main feedback we got from the community was delivery. There's no place in Blackwell that delivers, and we had numerous requests to bring that back. So delivery is back for a small charge. We have to charge a delivery fee so that we can profit off of that. In time, we can funnel those profits not only back into Jovani's, but also into the community as a whole. Without Blackwell, there just wouldn't be a Jovani's,” Vest said.

Jovani's menu, which is available on the restaurant's Facebook page and in-store, offers wings (6 and 12 piece), calzones, sub sandwiches, pasta bowls, specialty pizzas (BBQ, all-meat, bacon cheeseburger, supreme, and chicken bacon ranch), and medium/large-sized pizzas, ranging from those with plain cheese to those with up to five toppings.

Jovani's can be reached at 580-363-2600. It is open 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Mondays - Saturdays and is closed on Sundays.