Business Profile: Pizza d'Carlo

When Temple Terrace resident Enrique Calderon graduated from Brigham Young University in 1992 with his bachelor’s degree in business, he already had his mind made up when it came to his future.

It would at least involve pizza.

“Americans love pizza,” Calderon said.

While attending BYU, Calderon set out to create a pizzeria that would stand out from the chains and opened multiple locations around the Salt Lake City area.

After success, the business moved to Tennessee, then eventually, Temple Terrace.

“There was the opportunity to come down here and we did it,” he said.

That’s when Calderon, and his wife, Melody, who is also his business partner, moved to Florida to introduce to Temple Terrace in 2009.

The first location was in the River Run Preserve shopping center on the corner of Temple Terrace Highway and 78th Street, but the business recently relocated to 5101 E. Busch Blvd.

Pizza d’Carlo delivers its full menu 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“If you want a pizza at 6 o’clock in the morning, then we will give you your pizza at 6 o’clock in the morning,” Calderon said.

The pizzeria specializes in New York-style pizza, Chicago deep-dish, or white-style pizza. The menu also features 42 toppings to choose from.

“Pizza is pizza, food is food, so we had to create something different for our customers to help us stand out from the other chains,” Calderon said. “We found our niche.”

Want something other than pizza? There are also pastas, calzones, subs and salads on the menu.

For dessert, customers can choose from the Italian favorite, tiramisu; New York-style cheesecake; and Italian ice cream, Artisan Duomo Gelato. The gelato is made at Bay Street International Plaza and is a customer favorite, Calderon said.

On Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, customers can buy any regular-sized pizza and get one free with the purchase of a two-liter drink.

Pizza d’Carlo delivers up to a 15-mile radius. That means the Temple Terrace location will deliver to Brandon, New Tampa, Lutz, South Tampa and other locations in the area.

“The restaurant business is the most tedious in the world,” Calderon said, “but our intention is to open a franchise to continue serving customers in Tampa Bay and going to the next level.”