By Kevin Greer
Lakeside Communications Manager
Bluebird and Lakeside Laundromat owners Andrew and Rachel Chwalik were sitting around one day brainstorming ideas for a new business in Lakeside. It was more of a fun conversation for the future. They had no plans on starting something new in 2025.
When the pizzeria became available, they sat down and had another chat. That one was a little more serious.
“We were like, ‘Well, what if this really was a thing?’” Andrew said. “If no one else wants to take over that pizza shop, running it would be pretty cool.”
This is the first time the Chwaliks have gotten into the pizza business. Before taking over Bluebird in 2023, they owned a successful ice cream and sandwich shop in Marion, Ohio. They have cleverly renamed the pizzeria Sauced.
“We said, ‘Hey, we’ve opened an ice cream and sandwich shop before and we didn’t know what we were doing,’” Andrew said. “Why not a pizza shop?”
Sauced isn’t going to have a truck come in and deliver giant cans of pre-made sauce and frozen crusts. Andrew has been “experimenting” with recipes and will make his own sauce and dough.
“I really want to make everything in-house, so it’s much more homemade,” Andrew said. “I can make a sweet sauce, and then we’ll have such a cool pizza.”
Since time is limited, Andrew said they’re going to stick to the basics for their first season and not make any specialty pizzas, but he’s not ruling that out in the future. He’s looking into dietary-friendly options, too, just like they do at Bluebird. He’s trying to find options for gluten-free pizza crust and dairy-free items. He also plans to sell grab-and-go pizzas and slices.
“I think selling pizza by the slice is so cool,” Andrew said. “It will be a great option after Hoover shows, or if you just want to go snag a quick piece of pizza and walk down to the water.”
If you’re craving a sweet treat after your pizza, a fun dessert will be on the Sauced menu. Pookies are deep-dish cookies inspired by the popular restaurant chain BJ’s. There will be chocolate chip, an option that will be similar to an Oreo and a sugar cookie. As the season moves along, the Chwaliks may get creative and add some limited-time pookies. Each pookie will be topped with a scoop of ice cream.
“They’re a perfect end to a meal,” Andrew said. “They’re made in the same ovens as the pizzas, so it’s a great combo.”
Andrew aims to open Sauced in time for the start of the Chautauqua season. He’s in the process of buying a new oven, dough mixer and a warmer for grab-and-go pizza and slices. Andrew would like to add a deep fryer, but it won’t be this season. He’s putting pizza at the top of the priority list.
“I didn’t plan on deep frying this year,” Andrew said. “Step one is to get a good pizza and make sure that it’s good to go.”
Andrew said he and Rachel have the same anticipation they did two years ago when they took over Bluebird and the Lakeside Laundromat.
“We’re just super excited to still be at Lakeside and be diving into even more restaurant stuff,” Andrew said. “This is going to be something cool that we can create, build a brand and offer pizza. Everybody loves pizza. As long as we make sure we’ve got the recipe down and it’s a good piece of pizza, I think it’ll be really fun.”
