“That’s familia, ya know?” shrugs a customer with one foot out of the front door of Pizza Aroma. Smiles from behind the counter make you feel like they know exactly what she means: even when the situation is tough, family is everything. This motto is part of the glue behind Pizza Aroma, and what’s helping it stick together through tough times right now.
The Pizza Aroma family consists mainly of the Rosas: Mauricio and Dora, as well as their daughter Jackie Rosa Lewis and her husband Sean Lewis. Pizza Aroma was initially opened in 1997 by Sam Nitsios, also the owner of the building and Sam’s Wine and Spirits next door. After the Rosa family moved to the US from El Salvador, Nitsios later helped them get jobs at Pizza Aroma.
“My dad bought this in 2000, so they’ve been the ones who have owned the business and ran the business since then,” explained Rosa Lewis.
The restaurant has become a beloved establishment of downtown Ithaca. They offer pizza, of course, including special pies like mediterranean, artichoke pesto and even a “Mauricio Special” pie. But Pizza Aroma also brings a taste of home with several El Salvadoran classics, like pupusas, tamales and pasteles.
Covid presented challenges for many local businesses in Ithaca, Pizza Aroma included.
“It was hard because both of my parents have preexisting conditions that put them in that higher risk category, so when the pandemic started… they did just decide to close down until things got sorted. But once we started seeing it wasn’t ending any time soon, we tried to adapt to maximize the business,” said Rosa Lewis.
Mauricio Rosa emphasized the changes they had to make.
“With COVID, we had a hard time to go through. We closed for like almost two months, and then we opened for four hours a day for a lot of months too.”
A Post-COVID Surprise
After several tough months, Rosa Lewis decided it was time to give back to her parents while they took some much needed time off.
“This was the first time in, I wanna say 25 years, that they ever took a three-week vacation and time off. I thought to myself ‘Wouldn’t it be nice, if in the time that they’re not here, that we could get something done?’”
And then she got to work. Using a design app from Home Depot, she planned out a renovation for the inside of Pizza Aroma. With the help of her husband, sisters and their spouses, they completed the renovation themselves in time to surprise Mauricio and Dora. Their reactions were captured in this video:
https://www.facebook.com/pizzaaromaithaca/videos/719121319089292
“Oh I was so excited,” said a smiling Mauricio. “I was crying for a minute because I wasn’t expecting that big change. And I was so happy… we was [sic] thinking this was never going to happen. We was planning and starting a new life at Pizza Aroma.”
Then the construction began. Work that they were told would be short-term quickly turned into months. Initially frustrated that the construction meant the delivery door being blocked, Mauricio spoke to the head of construction.
“It’s gonna take a couple weeks, they say. I asked the main constructor. He was sitting at this table… And he said to me a couple weeks, and I say ‘okay, a couple weeks.’ That’s fine, I can use the front door to bring everything in. But that was months ago.”
The work ended up blocking more than just the side door. They put up scaffolding all over the front entrance, to the point where it was blocking the sign. The Rosa family’s frustration began to build as the construction hindered business.
“A lot of people think we are closed because first, they covered the sign. Then, people see everything over here is like, covered up. So a lot of people think we are closed; calling like ‘Are you guys open? Are you still open? I thought you were closed,’” said Mauricio.
“Once they put the front scaffolding up… that was like, we’re completely enclosed,” said Lewis Rosa.
Through the tenants upstairs, the Rosas got word that the building was in serious jeopardy, therefore Pizza Aroma was too.
Kept In The Dark
“I think one thing that we’ve all kinda agreed on is the feeling that we were kept in the dark. There was no transparency, or communication. What the possibilities of the future of the building could be, or the structure… We were told at the beginning that it would just be exterior work, that it wouldn’t take that long,” said Rosa Lewis.
It became clear in early March that the Rosas would be forced to relocate Pizza Aroma. The sheer unexpectedness left both the family and its customers in shock.
“We had never heard from the landlords anything about the possibility of the building being condemned, or that they were going to try to start the work so that didn’t happen. And, obviously, that’s what their plan is. To fix it so that they can do whatever they want to do with it after,” said Rosa Lewis.
After the news began to settle in, a customer came to Mauricio and pushed the idea of starting a GoFundMe.
“We decide to put it low because we say, ya know, maybe we can make this. But I know it’s going to be a lot of more expenses coming because, ya know, the way the inflation is right now, being so high. All the equipment and everything,” said Rosa.
They set a goal of $25,000 on March 21, the donations have already surpassed the goal.
”Unfortunately, we don’t have much trust in the communication with the landlords, so you can’t help, in the back of your mind, to be like well, are they coming here any minute saying you actually have to leave in two weeks”, said Rosa Lewis. “We’ve been given that two-to three-month time frame and we’re still waiting on legal documents having the exact day on there. That part is just really scary and uncertain.”
The GoFundMe produced an outpouring of kind messages from repeat customers, college students and locals alike.
“Your story has always been a source of inspiration to me and my family. We have fond memories of coming in with the kids since they were tots to young elementary ages after library story times,” said Sueane Hemmer Goodreau.
“Mauricio and Dora are special and amazing people. I am not at all surprised at the level of support that has come through. The community is blessed to have you for sure,” said Mark Arrison, donating $100 to the cause.
For now, Pizza Aroma remains open for their normal hours, and they hope customers will stay connected with them after their eventual move to a new location. But it doesn’t seem like the Ithaca Community is ready to leave Pizza Aroma in the past anytime soon.
“From when we first moved to Ithaca in 2000 through just last week, we have always savored the pies from Pizza Aroma. The Rosas always serve kindness with their food which makes it taste even better,” shared Duane Twardokus.
“Our daughter and son would get slices after school or when visiting the library, and Mauricio would ask where the other was if one of them showed up alone. For these reasons, we gladly help to preserve this Ithaca treasure. Our donation covers the pies we will miss while they relocate. Best wishes in making your move!”
