Valentia's Pizza Staying in Sturtevant

We have good news for pizza lovers who rely on Valentia's Pizza for homemade crusts and secret sauce: the Sturtevant eatery is open.

Daniel Valentia told Patch that two young men from their old neighborhood in New York moved to Sturtevant to learn the restaurant business from the ground up. Their participation also takes some of the stress off of him and his wife, Ginger, while the couple faces Ginger's health issues.

"The restaurant is open," Dan confirmed. "I’m excited that we stayed open."

Ginger suffers from kidney trouble and will need a third transplant because her body is rejecting the second. Running the restaurant on top of navigating Ginger's health issues proved to be too much for both Daniel and Ginger, and they announced in July that they would close in September.

But, Dan getting a full time job and bringing two young men from New York - one of whom has culinary art school credits and the other is the son of an old friend - has given the Valentia's the room they need to breathe more easily. 

"It's quite an adjustment living with two teenage boys," Dan admitted with a chuckle. "But they're really catching on fast at the restaurant, and they say they like living here."

The Valentia's recently tore out an office to expand the dining room with a salad bar. Customers seem happy that the restaurant didn't close.

"We're trying to attract more people and maybe open for lunch some days," Dan added. "The reaction overall has been pretty positive. People are happy that we didn't close."

Valentia's Pizza is located at 9225 Durand Avenue, and they are open from 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday and from 3 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call (262) 456-1830.