CMH Gourmand – Eating in Columbus & Ohio

How is it possible, having lived on the north end most of my life and for much of that as close as 3.2 miles away….. that I did not hear about Terita’s pizza until 2018? The answer, in 2018 I decided it was important to start researching the surviving pizza parlors of the 1950’s. Terita’s is definitely a survivor.

I did some cyber research on Terita’s which meant reading a lot largely positive Yelp and other reviews. Based on this, I determined I needed to make a field research mission to check out what appeared to be a local institution. Long time customers raved about many things the small shop has to offer, the most common item mentioned was the homemade sausage on the pizza and sandwiches. The Iannarino family has run this shop in the same location since 1959. I still have a bit more research to do but I am pretty sure other than Gatto’s Pizza which has been in the same spot and same family since 1952, Rubino’s (1954) and Tommy’s (if Lane Ave. is an original location), Terita’s is the third or fourth oldest continuous pizza operation in the city. That is pretty incredible for any Cleveland Avenue business.

For my recon mission I order a sausage and pepperoni pizza, a gluten-free pizza with ham and pineapple (I was surprised this was an option) and a sausage sandwich. Upon entering Terita’s I was impressed. In spite of being open over fifty years, this place was clean. The crew working the ovens and prep space were “tight” in how they worked together and professional. My veteran eye can assess a good operation in five minutes or less and Terita’s is clearly “on it”. The inside was fairly spartan to mesh with the bunker like exterior. There was nothing fancy inside and just a few tiny tables for small groups that might want to eat in on the fly. As a first timer, I was not comfortable asking about the deeper meaning of their mascot Gus the Pizza Man, but I am sure I will learn more over time. The staff were friendly and recognized me as a new customer so said they hoped I would be back. I will.

I brought this fare home to CMH Spouse and CMH Griffin. Griffin enjoyed the gluten-free pizza so that was an endorsement since is he has tried most in the city at this point. CMH Spouse gave high praise to the sausage. This is quite an endorsement for numerous reasons. My wife comes from a very Italian family in Northeast Ohio. She still has Italian speaking cousins in the old country. Sauce, meatballs and the like are a big deal with her family so quality and especially quantity are never taken lightly. CMH Spouse has a very fine-tuned sense of smell. It is actually super human. If I have more than 2 ounces of beer, she can smell it the moment I walk through the door. If I ate at an Indian restaurant say two to eight hours before, I don’t have to tell her, she will tell me. She knew I ordered sausage the second I placed the boxes on the table. After trying the sausage on the pizza and the sandwich she proclaimed “It’s just like the sausage in ravs (ravioli) and stromboli. That means it meets both the family standard as well as her personal standard which requires a sausage not be too stinky, it can’t be over or under spiced and the anise percentage should arch low instead of high. So yes, CMH Spouse approval of sausage is a big deal.

So let us discuss the pizza. Our “normal” pizza was Columbus style which means thin crust and tavern or party cut. The sausage was tasty and while I do not know the exact source of their pepperoni, Terita’s uses what most would call “old world style” so it curls a bit at the edges and can serve as a reservoir for pizza grease. We liked this pizza. I’d place it in the top twenty for the city, further research may increase that ranking.

The sausage sandwich was a real surprise. I think the bun is from Auddino’s. It was fresh and flavorful and toasted just right. The sausage was clearly homemade and thick sliced whole patty form whereas most places use sliced sausage links. The toppings were minimal but that is because the sandwich did not need anything other than the sausage although cheese was a good addition. The one half sandwich that survived the first eating was still exceptionally good the next day.

So initial results look promising and I think Terita’s is will easily sustain another fifty years or more of service.