Name: Jamie Roy
Owner, Checkmate Pizza
How did you get into the business? How long have you been doing it?
I started working in pizza restaurants when I was in high school at 17 years old, and I've been doing it ever since. I opened Checkmate in April 2002.
What is the secret to the perfect pizza?
Good cheese. And good sauce.
What do you call your style of pizza?
It's just a thin crust pizza. It's one of the standards in Italian-style pizza places. Over the years I've thinned ours up a little bit more. The first couple of years were sort of like a test about how we should do things.
How do you know the right amount of a topping to put on?
It's just kind of how it feels, how it looks. The more experience you have, you just know. But a lot of items we do weigh out. Like pepperonis we count, and chicken, bacon and steak we weigh.
How many slices do you think you sell on a good day?
Probably about 100 to 125 slices in a day. (Note: That's almost 1,000 slices in a week! And those are just walk-in slice orders. If you were to figure out the total number of slices sold in every pizza made, Jamie estimated it would be about 1,300 slices per day, and around 10,000 in a week!)
What do you think about the idea of putting the toppings under the cheese?
I like putting the toppings on top of the cheese, because they cook better that way. They're not chewy. They always cook up good when you put them on top.
What is one of the craziest combinations you can remember anyone ordering? And what's your favorite combination?
We had someone order steak and mayo with pickles. I made it, and it actually smelled good. I wouldn't want to eat it, but they were happy. And my favorite is our barbecue chicken pizza. That's one of our best selling pizzas. It has chicken, barbecue sauce, mozzarella cheese and red onion.
Be honest: Calzones are just pizzas folded in half, aren't they?
Yup, pretty much. But you can get the sauce inside or on the side.
Besides your own, what is the best pizza you've ever had and where did you have it?
I like Tripoli Pizza in Salisbury, Mass. It's really good. I still go there with my kids, because they have an arcade and a bunch of games. My kids love it. Besides my pizza, they love Tripoli pizza.
If you weren't running a pizza restaurant, what would you be doing?
I have no idea. I've been doing this for 18 years now, so I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't here.
Hidden talent?
I'm a pretty good golfer, although I don't get to play like I used to. I only played twice this year. I used to play a lot more, but with two stores I've been pretty busy.
Guilty pleasure?
Ice cream. Preferably chocolate chip cookie dough. That's good stuff.
Checkmate Pizza is located at 41 Washington Street and can be reached at 228-0555 or checkmatepizza.com.
