January 4, 2007

Owner Carl Lea with the pizza oven at Bentino’s of Yellow Springs. Lea’s goal was always to live and do business in Yellow Springs.

By Virgil Hervey

Whether your taste in pizza is for extra cheese and pepperoni or strictly vegetarian toppings, Bentino’s of Yellow Springs, the new pizzeria in town, has something for everyone. The menu also includes such traditional Italian dishes as calzones, spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, and lasagna, and a variety of salads and sandwiches. The restaurant opened its doors last month.

Twenty-five-year-old owner Carl Lea has only lived in Yellow Springs for five years, including a short stint in Xenia. However, he has been a Yellow Springer at heart since his high school days in Jamestown, when he would come here for frequent visits, he said in a recent interview.

Lea is proud of the fact that he is running his own business at such an early age, but points out that he is not lacking in experience. He has been a businessman since the age of 16, when he opened his own booth at the Trader’s World flea market selling sunglasses and jewelry, he said. He worked two days a week and spent his leisure time during the week hanging out in the Bentino’s in Jamestown, where his buddies all worked.

He has also worked the street fair circuit and had a booth at the BP station during the Yellow Springs Street Fair with his parents for more than 10 years.

“The Yellow Springs Street Fair is the best,” he said.

You might have noticed that the sign has been up and there have been lights on inside the store on Xenia Avenue next to Subway for months. If you ventured a peek inside, you would have seen that the pizza ovens had been installed, the counter was in place, and there were tables and chairs awaiting customers. But the sign on the door said, “Closed.”

The process of getting licensed was slow, but Lea has no complaints. On dealing with the Greene County Building Department, “I didn’t have much experience.” Lea said. “I did a lot of work before I should have.”

Once he had clearance from the building department, he was able to go to the Greene County Health Department for his license. According to Lea, when he explained that he had sunk every penny he had into the business and needed to open his doors as soon as possible, they were very helpful.

His goal was to live and do business in Yellow Springs, Lea said. Why pizza? It goes back to his days of hanging out in the Bentino’s in Jamestown, he said. He got to know owner Jason Garringer, who started that business 10 years ago when he was only 23.

He was also mindful that, until recently, Garringer had operated a Bentino’s in Cedarville for three years. It was popular with Yellow Springers for delivery, he said. Garringer closed that location, because business was slow in the summers when the college students were away.

According to Lea, when he went to Garringer in August of 2005 with the idea of opening a Bentino’s in Yellow Springs, he received Garringer’s support for the project. Garringer liked the fact that Lea was starting out young, as he himself had, Lea said.

They worked out a deal in which Lea was able to lease the name, be trained at the Jamestown location, and use the same recipes, products, and menu. He started working at the Jamestown store in November 2005, so he could learn the business from the bottom up, he said.

Coming with Lea in the move to Yellow Springs is former Jamestown manager Dustin Waulk. One of Lea’s best friends from high school, Waulk bring years of pizzeria experience with him. Lea’s sister Edy also works behind the counter.

For now, the menu will stay the same. But in the future, “after playing it safe for awhile,” he will be looking to add new items, Lea said. Garringer has no problem with that, he added.

“We have sold more Very Veggie pizzas in the last three nights than they sold in Jamestown in the last two months,” he said.

Another popular item with villagers, according to Lea, is the Greek pizza, which includes “a sauce of olive oil and garlic in pesto, topped with fresh spinach, onions, Roma tomatoes, mozzarella and feta cheese.” However, traditional pizza is still the most popular, he said.

At lunch time, calzones are a big seller. When the lunch business picks up, Lea hopes to add pizza by the slice, he said.

Bentino’s provides lunch delivery with service to local businesses between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Evening delivery is available from 5 p.m. until closing. Store hours are from 11 a.m. to approximately 11 p.m.

Contact: vhervey@ysnews.com