Etna Slice House, open for less than a year, is closed indefinitely after the departure of its manager and some staff.
Though he said there is no hard feelings, the Slice House’s former manager and head chef, Massimo Vozza, said he decided to leave the business last week. That is because the shop’s owners, Rear End LLC, wanted to become more involved in operations but would not allow him to buy into the ownership of the burgeoning business, he said.
Vozza said the shop along Butler Street was built around his recipes and likeness, but he said he would have “nothing to show for it” without a stake in ownership. The shop’s current owners, he said, were financially reliable, but he felt he needed to “protect his product.”
Three Slice House employees, Vozza’s team, also left the shop. The chef said he helped find them jobs at other pizzerias before he left.
In a statement from Rear End LLC, which also owns Rear End Gastropub & Garage across from the Slice House, the company said its ownership wanted to become more involved in operations since the business was losing money.
Support from the community, Vozza said, has been “great.” A post on Instagram announcing his departure was met with more than 100 comments, almost all expressing support for the chef.
At this point, Vozza said he plans to “play things by ear.”
Though he said he has offers at other local shops, his goal is to build a pizzeria of his own, he said. He said he would like to stay in the area of Shaler or Etna, but it is too early to say what comes next.
As for the Slice House, co-owner Mike Rios said it is his company’s intention to reopen at some point, but he said he still is determining when that will be.