In an amazing evening, filled with excitement, the Aliso Viejo Chamber of Commerce came together for its first in-person After Hours event since the pandemic started in March. The group, donned in masks and socially distanced, enjoyed a few hours of networking while sampling pizza and appetizers on the patio of the newest addition to the Aliso Viejo Town Center.
Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store opened in the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown in July. Owner Jeff Roberts spoke to chamber members and praised the community of Aliso Viejo for their support during what has been a difficult time for many businesses.
Roberts is one of four owners of the family-centric pizzeria that originally opened in 1976. He and co-owner Stan Frazier went to school together and grew up eating at the Newport Beach location after Little League games. Eight years ago, the childhood friends partnered with Andy Hong and Rob Dodman and purchased the nostalgic pizza joint.
“All of our families currently have someone working in the organization, it’s really four families working together,” said Roberts. And with that teamwork, has come success; the owners decided to expand to a second location last year. “We picked Aliso Viejo because we loved it here.”
While Roberts is encouraging locals to give their menu a try, this month comes with an added bonus. All the proceeds from pizza sales in September will go to support CHOC and Julian’s Lego Corner. The initiative was created to support Julian Dunn, a friend of Robert’s daughter, who lost his life to cancer at the age of ten. Julian’s parents created the area in CHOC hospital to give kids a place to pick out and work on new Legos sets while undergoing cancer treatments.
Customers can also make donations or purchase “Sweet Things” dessert items to help support Julian’s memory. Sweet Things is a charitable project started by Robert’s daughter; 100 percent of their profits are donated to the CHOC organization year-round. Sgt. Pepperoni’s has raised more than $10,000 so far.
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The Aliso Viejo Chamber of Commerce is committed to cultivating a diverse group of member organizations that represent all industries present in the Aliso Viejo community of Orange County, California. If you’re considering becoming a member, we encourage you to read about the benefits that come with our membership. We’d love to have you join us!