By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY—Craving homemade Italian comfort food? Look no further than Delicio’s Pizza and Pasta on U.S. 280. The husband-and-wife run restaurant, with owner Irina Boca and head chef Peter Pappas, offers a vast menu of made-from-scratch classics.

As the restaurant’s name indicates, Delicio’s serves pizza—but it’s not just any pizza. Toppings for each pie are placed under the cheese, a secret Pappas picked up during his culinary career.

“I put all my toppings under the cheese,” Pappas said. “(You get) 100 percent of that topping, so it fills you up more… you’re getting one item, one pizza and it fills you up.”

Delicio’s offers six specialty pizzas, including the ever-popular Five Meat Pizza—a thin or Italian-style crust layered with sauce, smoked ham, pepperoni, bacon fresh ground beef and sausage, then topped with white cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

Diners can also create their own pizza or calzone from a selection of 31 fresh toppings, from pepperoni and mushrooms to kalmata olives and pineapple.

Freshness is key at Delicio’s. Cheese is shredded fresh from the block each morning and vegetables are cut throughout the day. It may take a little longer, but Pappas said the wait is worth it.

“We don’t cut corners here,” Pappas said. “We only have so many people in the kitchen, and it’s all made fresh.”

Much of what you’ll find at Delicio’s is also made in-house from recipes Pappas own recipes.

“Everything I do, there’s a science behind it,” Pappas said. “I’ve been working on it for a long time… It’s all about how you mix something, every chef is different.”

Pappas makes his own sauces, breads, sausage, hamburgers, salad dressings and more.

In addition to pizza, Delicio’s also offers a large selection of pastas, sandwiches, soups and salads. Customer favorites include the spinach salad—fresh spinach topped with walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews and pumpkin seeds—and triple layer lasagna—lasagna pasta stacked with ground beef, herbs, ricotta, vegetables and a four cheese blend.

Delicio’s also allergy aware and offers a special gluten-free menu.

Cooking is not just job for Pappas, it’s also his passion. Pappas became interested when he was adopted at age eight-and-a-half and moved from Italy to Alabama.

“I couldn’t speak a word of English,” Pappas said, noting he watched cooking shows to learn the language.

Pappas is constantly experimenting, tweaking, developing and, of course, taste testing his recipes to make sure they’re just right.

“I’m in competition with myself, I’m not in competition with anyone else,” Pappas said. “I don’t serve anything I won’t eat. If it’s not delicious, it’s not Delicio’s.”

Delicio’s is located at 5479 U.S. 280, Suite 126. Hours are Tuesdays-Thursdays 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fridays 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

For more information visit Deliciospizzaandpasta.com or call 968-2323.