Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Garrett Policastro. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Garrett, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
If you ask almost everyone who ever opened a pizzeria they will tell you the same story,”I couldn’t find the pizza I grew up with so I set out to make it myself”, or some variation of that. You hear it all the time. And it’s as true with me as it is with them.
In 1999 I was working in WEHO as a designer/ Architect for about ten years when I had an epiphany about two things. Not only isn’t there a lot of, if any of great NY-Style pizza joints in LA, but every pizza place you go into is always the same ole Italian themed red white and green vibe or Rustic, Industrial thing that was popular at that time. I said to my self “Self? Where are the joints my dad took me to like back east, where you could grab two slices and a coke? They were simple, fun, vibrant and unchanged from 60’s or 70’s. There was a soul to them that felt like family, neighborhood and it was real.
Over the next twenty years I set out on a journey to bring this combination of East Coast flavors with a West Coast Style to the fine folks of Los Angeles.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Sure. In addition to the Tomato Pie concept my partner and I also own an all-Natural Taqueria called Mixto in Silver Lake. The two concepts, one hundred and something employees as well as our Families keep us incredibly busy and little time for anything else. Still, we’ve managed to balance it all and create a great life following our dreams and serving our neighborhood. We force ourselves to take time off and to try and stay healthy both mentally and physically. People always say “When I make it, I’m gonna do this and do that” But I think both of us have always felt that the day we met our wives and started our families we knew we had already made it. And the work stuff was never work, it was always fun. So I guess we feel like we’ve already won.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Passion, Curiosity and Work Ethic.
Every journey has to have something that drives it. When you have undying passion for something you love it never feels like work. It is your life source and you need to nurture it and feed it or you will wither away.
Curious people want to learn how to be great at what they do, they are never satisfied with good. That simple characteristic trait will always drive a person to investigate, learn and evolve. That’s where the growth comes from. When we train, we try to teach instead of bark orders. We tell them the What the How and the Why for every task in front of them. It sparks conversation and hopefully sparks their curiosity.
Anything you do you should try to be great at it, and that takes hard work and focus. But it costs you nothing, it’s free. So with everything you do, take an extra second to cross your T’s and dot your I’s. A good work ethic will always make up for any flaws inexperience may have caused you.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
For me it has been my business partner of the last 15 years, Freddy Suarez. When people ask me what’s our working relationship like?I say we are like a big oak tree. I’m the free flowing pretty leaves constantly changing and dropping little nuggets of passion like acorns on the team. While he’s the strong roots and base that penetrate deeply into the earth, anchoring us firmly in place. His level of consistency, calmness and intellect keeps us safe and protected through all of the volatile ups and downs. I’ve learned how to be a better person who operates based more on values than just the pursuit of fame or money. We wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for him.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tpie.com
- Instagram: wearetomatopie
Image Credits
Richard Anthony Photography
