Fresh ingredients and attention to detail. Rod Bowman said that is what sets KJ’s Pizzeria apart.
“Nothing is frozen, and nothing has additives and preservatives,” said Bowman, the pizzeria’s owner.
That uniqueness is getting nationally recognized as the De Soto restaurant recently ranked 47th in Yelp’s top 100 pizza spots in the Midwest. Bowman found out about the ranking after receiving a congratulatory text from the supplier who sells them cheese.
“I’m like, ‘What?’ and he sent me the link,” he said. “It was shocking.”
Bowman opened the pizzeria six years ago with a mission of making a high-quality product.
“We make the dough from scratch, the sauce and all that stuff so it becomes, you know, something more unique,” he said.
After working as an executive chef at an Italian restaurant in Iowa for years, he had plans to open a similar restaurant in Kansas. However, Bowman didn’t have the budget for a full-service restaurant so he decided on opening up a small pizzeria.
“Here’s the real fortunate thing: When COVID hit, we were one year old. If I’d have had a full-service restaurant with, you know, tablecloths and china and wine and servers, I would have been bankrupt,” Bowman said.
Bowman said getting to be his own boss has allowed him to express his creativity.
“As an executive chef, you still had to go through the upper levels to institute what you thought was the best,” he said. “But business people can’t really get into a creative mind when it comes to the hands-on kinda thing.”
Employee Jessica Steeb said she was excited when she found out they’d placed on the list.
“I had no idea that was even a thing,” she said.
Steeb agreed the pizza’s freshness is what makes it special.
“It’s clean, it’s fresh, it’s delicious,” she said.
The pizzeria is known for its quality, said Allison Woodland, general manager at Force of Nature Brewing.
“They source a lot of their meats and produce locally, which is amazing,” she said. “They have very high standards when it comes to food quality.”
Woodland said she was happy to see a neighboring small business get some recognition.
“They’re a big part of the community,which I really love,” Woodland said.
Deborah Hiser and her family recently stopped into the pizzeria for lunch.
“It was wonderful,” Hiser said. “We like the pizza of the week.”
Every week, the pizzeria announces a specialty pizza for that week only. The pizzas could have anything from pepperoni to jalapenos to corn to meatballs, whatever creation Bowman decides for the week.
“I’m coming up with something every five days,” Bowman said.
Bowman takes a look at the seasonal produce and the price of meat, and decides the pizza of the week from there.
“I get some inspiration through that process,” he said. “Like how can I throw that into the next week and make something with that?”
Steeb said Bowman’s creativity is part of why she has worked at the pizzeria for over three years.
“You never know what you’re gonna get,” she said. “Whatever he feels like making, he makes.”
The food doesn’t stop at pizza, either. Bowman also makes homemade soups, calzones and cookies.
Despite the pizzeria’s popularity, Bowman said he has no plans for creating other locations in the future.
“We’re kind of one of those mom-and-pop places,” he said.
KJ’s Pizzeria wasn’t the only Kansas pizza spot to be ranked. Pizza West in Bonner Springs placed 56th, Piatto Neapolitan in Wichita placed 97th and Big Mill in Lawrence placed 100th.
Bowman said the only thing he wishes he would have done is open up a restaurant sooner.
Although a pizzeria wasn’t what he always planned for, Bowman still achieved his dream.
“I’ve achieved the goal that I set for myself when I was 17 years old,” he said. “I’m very gratified with myself.”
Reach reporter Ryn Drummond at [email protected]
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