Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Ross.
Hi Eric, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started out working as a dishwasher in a hospital in 1994. Chef Alax was impressed that was never late or called in sick so moved me to a cook. At the point I really liked it and made a choice to go to culinary school at Jonhson & Wales Univiersity. Got my degree and then did a internship at Grove Park Inn at Ashville North Carolina. After that I became a line cook at Williamsburg Inn did that for a while then was ask to go back into healthcare by previous chef. Worked in that for a few years then was offered the Executive Chef postion at Johns Hopkins University at the age of 21. At that point I realized I needed to go back to school and went back to Johnson & Wales to get a bacheors degree. After that I was ask to be the Executive Chef at MCV/ Virgina Common Wealth University. Got married after four years and moved to Chicago to work as a District Chef for health system. Once I realized I was at the top leval of my carreer in health care I thought it would be time to start my own Pizza shop.I always wanted to do it and we have a family pizza recipe and shop in Clearfield Pennsylvania Called Mables Pizzza, which is still open today. My sister was living in New Smynra at the time and said it would be a good place to try. If the locals like it they will support it. So we I retired from health care and opened Panheads Pizzera. After two years we opened a secon Panheads in Port Orange. Ater five years of both places we decied to close Port Orange and start a catering business called Ravish Catering. We are now in just about every venue in New Smynra and can do events up to 500 people. We have been lucky to be open for 16 years and have been on Dinners Drive Inns and Dives.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing is smooth as for the start of my career it was hard to navigate between health care or hotels. Once I made that choice I did as much as I can to learn and move up. The hardest thing I did was to give up a good paying job to start a resturant and hope for the best. Then there was covid, and a few hurricanes that wipe our walkinns out and just the day to day changes of foodcost and other exspenses, makes it hard to stay on track.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a working Chef / Owner of Panheads Pizzeria. My day to day it to set up the shop for service, do all the orders, payroll, plan menus for caterings. I am prod of keeping a 4.5 star rating ever since we opened. We are proud of being select to be on DDD. What sets us apart is we are always consistant on all of our products and with service. We are a well known restaurant in our town and have meet so many great people. Another thing that sets the pizza apart is that we mix our dough by hand. I have no found any other place that does that.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Yes my whole career has been risky. I think in life you have to take risk at certan points and it is ok to fail as long as you dont make same mistake. I did start another resturant that did not make it do to time and covid. I think that you can take risk as long as you can put the work into it. There where so many people that thought I was crazy to give up my job with benifits to start a new resturant.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.panheadspizzeria.com/
- Instagram: Panheads Pizzeria
- Facebook: Panheads Pizzeria
- Yelp: Panheads Pizzeria
Image Credits
Guy Fieri , My wife Caroline, My daughter Annabella, My daughter Gabriella
My grandma Mabel,
