by Elise Van Dam
All it takes is dough, tomato sauce and cheese to make a basic pizza; but the cooks add so much more at McClain’s Pizzeria. Matt and Mi-Mi Heilman opened McClain’s Pizzeria (10208 N. Division St.) on Sept. 4.
Matt and Mi-Mi worked for Subway Sandwich Shop for a combined total of 39 years before they opened their own business. The idea to start a pizzeria came from Matt’s experience working at his friend’s family pizzeria. His friend used the recipes to start McClain’s Pizzeria in Hailey, Idaho. The Heilmans bought some of the recipes from the original McClain’s pizzeria to start their own. They are not currently a franchise, but are working on it.
The founding principle of McClain’s Pizzeria is based on a simple equation: good customer service combined with good products results in a good business.
“We know that our product is different from other pizzerias in Spokane,” Mi-Mi said. “It is simple but different.”
The Heilmans believe that their product is different because they make their dough fresh every day and add a secret ingredient to make it stand out from other restaurants.
The Heilmans also make their own sauce, use an Italian cheese that is new to the United States and only buy high-quality produce as ingredients for their recipes.
“The pizza was good,” customer Meaghan McCluskey said. “The sauce was tasty and had just the right amount of spice. Also, the gluten-free crust had a good taste; it did not taste like cardboard.”
The menu consists of pizza, sandwiches, calzones, salads, spaghetti and wings. Customers can build their own pizzas by choosing different meat, vegetable and cheese toppings. Or they can choose a specific type of pizza, such as the McClain’s Combo that includes Canadian bacon, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, black olives and red onions. The menu also includes vegetarian options such as a veggie sandwich, a veggie combo pizza, a build-your-own calzone or salads.
The Heilmans are hoping to add single pizza slices to their menu starting in the upcoming weeks in an effort to attract more college students.
“We just want it to be a fun atmosphere where you can watch your food being made,” Mi-Mi said.