History & Beyond
I Was Born To Be Your Cook...
It Started in 1970. Payne Road was only a cut through ally to get to the air port and the Maine Mall.
Before 1970 sometime in the 40s or 50s Payne Road was the highway running into the turnpike to get to Augusta . Everything you see today was farm land. The mall was a truck center. The major air port was a mile away. Pizza Plus was the first and only pizzeria around. In 1990 My brother and I purchased Pizza Plus from the Grotton Family. We worked with our guests to establish the menu by adding what they wanted us to offer. The food got better and better. The area blossomed into the place to be. With all the businesses going up around us how could we fail. Today is here and we are too.
We grew up in Portland, Maine. Our family gave us the tools to become wonderful and caring cooks and friends. We learned the family secrets while watching our yiayia and papou cook from home. Our Father was the owner of a small pizzeria and sub shop in Portland, Maine. He and the whole family worked day and night. Mother created different dishes our dad would feature at the pizzeria. People could not get enough. Our love for people and their love for us grew each year. We think when we were Born We came into life with an apron, a pizza peal and a oven mitt ready for work. Our papou was a simple man with much wisdom. He taught us love just by standing next to us. Today I can Still hear his whisper "Cook it longer", "Put more basil in there", " fill that with more meat"... Here at Pizza Plus the number one goal has always been to satisfy the needs of our guests. We still use the same family methods and traditional recipes. The Plus has been we have added to the old and made it new. 40 years later we are still the leader of helping you and the new wave of our family is on the way, Athan, Costa, Micah, Stephan and Anna. Look out here they come...
For good food and a wonderful day come see us for your next meal today.
Giving you the best,
Athanasios Gikas, Art for short.