More Than Pizza: How Blair Pietrini Turned Grief into Grace and Built a Business That Feels Like Home
When you step into Pietrini Pizza Napoletana, it doesn’t just smell like wood-fired dough and fresh basil—it feels like you're being welcomed into someone’s kitchen. That feeling? It’s not an accident. It’s intentional. And it’s the result of one woman’s remarkable story of love, loss, and unwavering resilience.
In our latest episode of Badass Women in Business, we sat down with Blair Pietrini, co-founder of Pietrini Pizza Napoletana in Los Alamitos, California. What unfolded was a conversation we’ll never forget. It started with a dream, was shaped by unimaginable loss, and continues to grow because of the values that guide every slice served. This is a story about family. It’s a story about grief. But most of all, it’s a story about what happens when you decide to keep showing up for a dream, even after your world breaks apart.
From Service to Startup: A Foundation of Giving
Before there was pizza, there was people. Blair spent over two decades as the founder and director of Grateful Hearts, a nonprofit in Los Alamitos that distributed food, clothing, hygiene products, and household necessities to more than 50,000 people each year. Her work spanned from local veterans to families in crisis to disaster response both nationally and abroad. She was running warehouses and leading with heart long before she ever ran a restaurant.
That history shaped her lens. Her purpose. Her people-first approach to everything that came after. So when her husband began dreaming aloud about opening a pizzeria, Blair didn’t see it as a business. She saw it as another way to serve.
It was his dream. But making it real became hers too.
How a Dream Took Shape, One Pizza at a Time
Blair’s husband was obsessed with the craft. While she was the risk taker, the leap-before-you-look kind, he was the methodical one. For years, he studied dough fermentation and sourcing tomatoes. He researched ovens. He dreamed about getting everything just right.
By 2019, the two of them started moving beyond research. They bought a pizza oven for their backyard, then a trailer with a full setup for catering. Their son enrolled in a world-class course at International Pizza School, learning from master pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani. By the end, he was certified—despite never having made a pizza before the program.
When Blair happened upon a vacant building in Los Alamitos next to a Starbucks, she saw the future. She called her husband and said, you need to see this. It was a dirt floor. A blank canvas. But it was perfect.
They signed the lease, and then COVID hit. Delays, red tape, ballooning costs. Still, they persisted. And in January 2021, Pietrini Pizza Napoletana opened its doors for the first time.
There was no indoor dining. No outdoor dining. Just a massive line of people who loved them and wanted to support them. They ran out of food that first night. Orders were backed up. People were hangry. Blair calls it their “Black Friday.”
But they regrouped. They shortened hours. They learned. They adjusted. It was chaos. But it was theirs.
The Day Everything Changed
Ten months after they opened, Blair’s husband went in for routine back surgery. She dropped him off at the hospital and went shopping for party decorations for an event at the restaurant later that day.
The first call from the hospital came while she was in the dollar store. The nurse asked if she was alone. She wasn’t. She stepped outside. The doctor wanted to speak with her but wasn’t available yet. They would call back.
The next call came while she was in the car. Again, the doctor wanted to speak to her. This time, she was told to come in person.
When she arrived, no one was waiting for her. She sat alone in the waiting room. She knew. Something was terribly wrong.
The doctor and a nurse finally came to get her. They brought her into a room filled with people with clipboards. The doctor explained what happened. A nicked artery. A mistake. Her husband had bled out on the table. He was gone.
Blair’s best friend. Her business partner. Her anchor. Gone.
Choosing to Keep the Dream Alive
Her son wanted to shut the restaurant down. And no one would have blamed them. The loss was too fresh. Too sudden. Too enormous.
But Blair’s gut said no.
She told her son, if the best way we can honor him is to keep his dream alive, then we try. If we fail, we fail. But we do not quit without trying.
They closed for a short time. Held the funeral. Cried. And then quietly reopened.
At first, Blair stayed in the back. She wasn’t ready to step into his happy place. But over time, she made her way to the dining room. Customers would say it felt like eating in her kitchen. That meant something. That was healing. Little by little, those moments began to bring her back to life.
Core Values That Keep the Business Grounded
Blair knew she was not a restaurant expert. So she leaned into what she did know: people.
She created five core values, each one represented by a letter in the word P I E C O.
Productivity: There is always something to be done
Integrity: Act the same whether you are being watched or not
Enthusiasm: Bring energy to the work, to the room, to the guest
Community and Communication: Speak up. Speak kindly. Stay connected
Ownership: Own your wins. Own your mistakes. Don’t pass blame
These values are not for the handbook. They are for daily life. Blair uses them in hiring, in conflict resolution, and in praise. When someone does something right, she references the values. When something goes wrong, she goes back to the values. They are a compass.
And they have created a culture that feels like family, even among teenage staff. Blair says the youngest workers, the ones with no experience, often become the best team members. They have no ego. They learn. They care. And when tragedy struck again, when her grandson passed away at just one day old, those young staff members were the ones who stepped up.
Grief, Grace, and a Restaurant That Heals
There is no playbook for running a restaurant in grief. There is no manual for leading a team while your heart is still in pieces.
But Blair shows up. Day by day. She still eats pizza every day. She still talks with customers. She still tells stories about her husband. And every time someone walks in and says it feels like home, she knows they are doing something right.
This restaurant was never meant to be just a restaurant. It was always something more. A living legacy. A safe place. A second home.
Blair is determined to protect that. That’s why they are only open five days a week. That’s why their hours are short. That’s why she says, “We will never offer anyone as a sacrifice on the altar of pizza.”
They built something worth protecting. And she will never let the restaurant own her.
A Message to Every Dreamer Wondering If It’s Too Late
Blair is 66 years old. Her husband was 68 when he passed. They opened the restaurant later in life than most people even consider starting something new.
Friends thought they were crazy.
But Blair says it plainly. If you have a dream, try. Do not let fear win. Do not let regret become the soundtrack of your later years.
“I never wanted to come to the end of my life and wonder what might have been. Passion trumps reason.”
It is a reminder to anyone holding onto an idea. If you still feel that tug, you are not done yet. And you do not have to do it alone.
Letting Gratitude Lead the Way
Blair told us something that we will carry with us for a long time. She said she tries, every single day, to never let her grief be stronger than her gratitude.
Some days, that is harder than others. But she keeps choosing gratitude. For her family. For her customers. For her team. And for the chance to keep showing up.
She is not just running a pizza place. She is running a legacy of love.
Listen to Blair’s Story
You can hear the full conversation with Blair Pietrini on the Badass Women in Business podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere you listen.
Bring tissues. And if you are ever in Los Alamitos, bring an appetite too. The garlic pizza is waiting for you.
🤝 Connect with Blair Pietrini
🍕 Pietrini Pizza Napoletana: pietrinipizza.com
📧 Email: hello@pietrinipizza.com
📷 Instagram: @pietrinipizzanapoletana
👩🍳 Featured on Women in Pizza
📰 Read more: PMQ Article on Blair Pietrini
