Joseph "Joey C" Capozio is somewhat of a perfectionist. He has tinkered and toyed, he has tweaked and fine-tuned, and he has ultimately decided that his return to the marketplace is finally ready. So, some nine-months after giving birth to the idea of getting back to his roots and returning to M-139 in Benton Harbor his new Joey C's Pizzeria Pasta & Sub Shop quietly opened the doors today, only to find that his secret wasn't all that secret anymore.
Word spread quickly on social media, and the veteran pizza man is already slinging pizzas as if he was back in his early prime. Now open in the space that formerly housed the Benton Harbor Dairy Queen on the front lot of the Fairplain Plaza, Joey had already fed the bellies of his compatriots, a rag-tag quartet of long-time friends who have helped him transform the former ice cream parlor into a tradition-laden pizzeria and sandwich shop that people have been asking about since he first told me of his plans last fall.
Joey C's Pizzeria Pasta & Subs is in it for the long haul at 1835 M-139, but will operate on a carry-out only basis for now. There is no delivery, and there is no space for dine-in service, either…so you'll need to order "to go." Joey will be open Tuesday through Thursday from 11:30am until 9pm, Fridays from 11:30am until 10:30pm, Saturday's from 2pm until 10:30pm, and Sundays from 2pm until 9pm. They are closed on Mondays.
Joey is an award-winning pizza king who spent more than 35-years hand-crafting his amazing recipes for hungry diners in Benton Harbor before moving briefly to Florida. He returned to the home front about a year and a half later and went to work making his magic at the Panel Room in Hartford for about 2-and-a-half years before deciding to do something for himself and his iconic mother, Darlene Capozio in her golden years.
He had originally hoped to be open for business on M-139 before Thanksgiving, but his renovation project took longer than anticipated and then he elected to "do it right, rather than do it fast," and angled for perfection which he hopes he has now arrived at.
Joey is a professional baker, and a legendary pizza maker including a huge victory eight years ago in 2008 when his pizza was named the #1 Pizza in America in a heated professional nationwide competition in Ohio.
Joey's new menu features 12-inch, 14-inch and 16-inch pizzas…lots of great pastas including lasagna and manicotti, sub sandwiches, Sicilian Beef, meatball, sausage, salami, ham and other sandwiches, salads, tomato bread, garlic bread, pizza bread and more.
You can reach Joey C's Pizzeria at 269-925-1188, and remember…it's take out service only, so be prepared.
Here is the team that helped bring the return of Joey C's Pizzeria to M-139 in Benton Harbor.
