HAMPTON — If there’s one food that bridges all nationalities it’s pizza, and the new owners at Zesto Pizza prove that.
After 37 years, former owner John Gioldasis sold his 21 High Street pizzeria to the team of Khuyen Pham and her brother Tan. Although of Vietnamese descent, regular patrons of the restaurant can rest easy. The menu is not changing.
The brother and sister duo spent weeks working beside Gioldasis, getting familiar with the restaurant business in general and Italian cuisine in particular. His recipes are still being used for pizzas, subs, salads, pasta and chicken dinners, as well as all the sides.
“The restaurant was successful,” Tan Pham said. “There was no need to change.”
The hours are also the same. Zesto Pizza is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday. This Saturday, in honor of the Seafood Festival, the new owners are going back to the days when Zesto was open on Saturdays, a practice they hope to renew permanently soon.
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New owners: 'We’re all family here working together'
This isn’t Khuyen Pham’s first venture; it’s her third, but her first foray into the restaurant industry. As a mother of three young children, ages 7, 5, and 2, Pham is a natural entrepreneur.
“This is our new baby,” she said.
Pham enjoys the restaurant business because it brings joy to people through food.
Tan Pham said he decided to go into business with his sister as he was looking for something new and interesting to do. So far, he likes it, although it’s different than he imagined.
“It’s more physically demanding than I thought,” he said. “And it’s long hours, but it’s good. We’re all family here working together.”
Only taking over in August, Tan Pham said some customers were surprised not to find Giodasis behind the counter.
“A lot come in looking for John,” Tan Pham said. “In general, though, people have been very nice; they’ve been very welcoming to us.”
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What's on the menu at Zesto Pizza
A classic pizzeria, Zesto Pizza offers every topping imaginable for their small or large pizzas, with small ranging from $10.50 to about $17, and large from about $15 to $23. There’s even the ability to buy by the slice for $2.75.
Calzones start at $13.25, and the full array of subs – also available in Syrian wraps – start at about $10.
The menu lists a bevy of different side dishes, including fried ravioli, plus ten different salads from $10 to $16, and Italian dinners including spaghetti and an assortment of additions, such as meatballs, eggplant and sausage, running from about $13 to $17. Greek gyros are also on the menu, as are two different chicken dinners.
Patrons, old and new, can find the menu on the website www.zestopizza.com. Orders can be made online through Google, Tan Pham said, or by just picking up the phone and dialing 603-929-7200.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Zesto Pizza in downtown Hampton sold: Meet the new owners behind the counter
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