Fresh and free is key to Westside Pizza

KINGSTON — It can’t get any fresher than this — dough made daily, homemade sauce, freshly cut vegetables and dessert sauces mixed on site. It’s the only way Westside Pizza knows how to do it. And with a new location in Kingston, owners Michelle and Shey Lee hope residents will agree.

KINGSTON — It can’t get any fresher than this — dough made daily, homemade sauce, freshly cut vegetables and dessert sauces mixed on site.

It’s the only way Westside Pizza knows how to do it. And with a new location in Kingston, owners Michelle and Shey Lee hope residents will agree.

After working at the Bainbridge Island location for the past several years, the couple decided to branch out and open their own Westside Pizza. Opting against moving into a big city, they found Kingston had just one pizza place and decided to offer the North End some variety.

“It’s a lot more personal than in a big city,” Michelle said.

What makes Westside stand out is its fresh dough and the fact that none of the food is prepackaged, Michelle said. They make their pizzas the way the customers want them to taste — and that means everything is fresh. They also offer free delivery, which is a rarity, she added. The staff can handle more than 200 pizzas a night.

“That’s not unheard of,” Shey said.

The menu only offers medium and large size pizzas to keep it simple and so the staff can stress one of Westside’s primary objectives — maintaining consistency. That rings true for the fresh ingredients they use, the recipe for the pizza sauce and that only Shey and Michelle train their employees. The couple has worked every position within the business, so they can train their employees properly, Michelle said.

Aside from offering a variety of combination and specialty pizzas, they also offer appetizers, drinks, and desserts, such as cinnamon sticks and dessert sticks.

The sticks are dough filled with either fruit or cinnamon streusel and come with their own caramel sauce frosting that is mixed on site.

The business officially opened Dec. 9 and started delivering within its North End delivery area, including Kingston, Hansville, Suquamish and Indianola.

But they were receiving calls during the first of December, after coupons went out in the mail.

“The response from just sending those coupons was amazing,” Michelle said, noting they have repeat customers already. “That must be the biggest thing for people — the different types of pizza and the delivery service to their home.”

The Lees are in the pizza business for several reasons — they know it so well from working in it for so long and they enjoy getting to know the community.

“It’s fun,” Shey said. “You’re always doing something different.”

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