I always thought “one day I’m going to have my own business,” said Rogelio, owner of Roger’s Pizzerolo on Mission Gorge Road next door to the now-defunct Souplantation. His dream came true and was, the realization of the American Dream of success through hard work. Roger’s Pizzerolo opened for business this past December.

Originally from San Salvador, Rogelio worked for many years in local restaurants, starting as a dishwasher. After hard work and a bit of luck, he received a promotion to chef. He started his first pizza business in a gas station in Lemon Grove and worked solely take-out. After five years, it was time to find a brick-and-mortar location.

The menu at Rogers’ is simple with pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches and wraps plus, a couple of desserts.

For pizzas, Rogelio likes a thinner crust. “People don’t want to eat too much flour or yeast to stay healthier,” he said. Good news for the gluten-free population – he has gluten-free pizzas!

He offers an entire category of white pizzas such as chicken BBQ pizza, Buffalo chicken, chicken and ranch with roasted garlic, and ranch dressing topped with fresh basil. Other pizza specialties are chicken pesto and spinach ricotta and a unique BCR pizza, which has cheese, caramelized onions, bacon bits and chicken over white sauce and ranch dressing.

Try a specialty pizza such as Hawaiian Pizza, Mexican Pizza with refried beans, chorizo, bacon, ham, jalapenos, and red onions, or San Diego Veggie Pizza with spinach, artichoke hearts, bell pepper, black olives and onions.

Pastas include a variety of spaghettis, rigatonis and fettucine alfredo. Also offered are vegetarian or meat lovers stromboli or meat lovers calzone.

Save room for a special dessert of either Tiramisu, New York Cheesecake or house-made Cannoli.

Don’t be confused when you see Cholula hot sauce on the tables. Rogelio always listens to his customers. “When many people asked for hot sauce, I took a poll to find out which ones were their favorites and I purchased some. It’s very popular. I like to keep my customers happy,” he said.

For someone who never cooked at home before starting to work in a restaurant, it is amazing to see him throwing a pizza crust in the air at his own restaurant, with joy and pride.

Roger’s Pizzerolo is located at 6171 Mission Gorge Rd. Call for delivery or pickup. You can find the menu online at rogerspizzeroloitaliangrill.com/

– Robin Dohrn-Simpson is a local food and travel writer. Reach her at robindohrnsimpson.com.

Photo by Robin Dohrn-Simpson