EL CENTRO — Two Southwest High School graduates, owners of Bella’s Pizzeria Inc., are not just making any pizza but are creating something no one else is doing.
David Montoya, 38, and his brother, Richard, 42, own the catering business, as well as doing drop-offs of their pizzas and pastries.
Bella’s Pizzeria is not like any other pizza business, where the customer can order almost anything.
Four to five days before the drop-off, they will post the menu to allow the public to pay and order their pizza.
David Montoya told the Imperial Valley Press that he knew what he wanted to do even before graduating from high school.
He left the Valley at the age of 18 to attend Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Arizona in 2007 and 2008.
He worked at the Citron Restaurant in Palm Springs and met a lot of wonderful people who showed him the way to succeed.
When the person who mentored him the most left for an opportunity in Los Angeles, Montoya followed him.
He worked at several spots for short periods in what is called staging in cities like San Francisco, New York, and more.
“Staging” refers to an unpaid, trial shift where a cook or chef works in a kitchen to gain experience, learn new techniques, or potentially earn a job. It’s a common practice in the culinary world, especially in fine dining, and is like an unpaid internship.
He worked in Las Vegas for a while but left for Imperial County because the restaurant was more concerned with quantity over quality.
“I am the type of person who knew what I wanted to do,” he said. “I have always had an affinity for food. Food is amazing.”
Montoya was then offered and accepted a job in New York, but days before he was to leave, COVID-19 hit, causing that New York restaurant to close.
But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Bella’s Pizzeria was born, with the name coming from his brother’s English bulldog, who had died.
What sets them apart from other pizza businesses is that they will only use the best ingredients, mentioning that he once traveled eight hours to pick up the flour he wanted.
Making the dough for the pizza takes three days, and the dough they use is temperature-sensitive.
“It’s very expensive compared to other pizzas because of our ingredients,” Montoya said.
Because the dough is temperature sensitive, Imperial County, with its incredibly hot summers, is not the right place for the business to thrive.
While their base is in El Centro, they have catered events in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County. When the summer weather cools in the county, they will cater events and provide pre-ordered pizza drops to their customers, of whom 90% are from Brawley.
Montoya does not mind moving around.
“I have always loved to travel,” he said, adding that there is really no limitation. “I have never wanted to be in just one place.”
The sugars in their pastries are refined.
Bella’s Pizzeria can be reached through Instagram.
