The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Brad Martell and Mark Hedford serve pizza by the slice (and whole ones, too) at Martolli's Pizza.

Brad Martell and Mark Hedford have realized a lifelong dream by starting their own pizza restaurant here in Sisters.

"We grew up in Portland and went to grade school, middle school, and high school together," said Mark. "We worked in a pizza place together as teenagers and always wanted to open our own place, and here we are."

It didn't happen overnight. The two friends moved to Central Oregon six years ago. Brad worked at Pizza Mondo in Bend.

"I've been making pizzas my whole life," he said. Mark made Sisters his home and spent the last half dozen years working at the Depot Deli.

"We always thought there was a niche for pizza by the slice here, especially for the shoppers on foot," said Mark.

They named their new eating establishment Martolli's Pizza.

"We've been open several weeks now," Mark said. "We knew it would a little slow to start, but we wanted to get all the quirks worked out before it got busy this summer.

"We're getting good feedback and things are going well."

"Our lunch special has taken off, and people comment that we have great salads."

With a prime location at 220 W. Cascade Ave., they hope to have outdoor seating by next month.

Customer demand has brought some surprises.

"We thought Sisters was mostly a meat-and-potatoes town, so we've been surprised that our most popular pizzas are veggie combos," Brad said. "We've got seven different vegetarian pizzas on the menu, and we're adding a few more."

The guys are enjoying themselves.

"I like the fact that we're not working for anybody else," said Mark. "We are our own bosses. Our relationship hasn't changed. We had fun together as kids, and we still have fun. The hardest part is working long hours everyday without any days off."

Martolli's Pizza is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until close (8-9 p.m.); phone 549-8356.