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FROM MICHIGAN
WITH LOVE
Fiore's imports the tastes, talents from one All-America City to another
 
fiores west ashley west of christian broder denialle paul lepior
Denialle and Paul LePior are making it big at Fiore's
 
By Christian Broder
Contributing Writer
 
While Fiore's Pizza and Grinders may be new to the West Ashley restaurant scene, its menu features tried and true classics of the neighborhood pizza and sandwich shop. Tucked in the relatively new Publix shopping center at Savannah Highway and Main Road, the owners hope Fiore's will fill the gap in their area for a high-quality, family-owned and operated pizza and sandwich place. Opening roughly six weeks ago, Fiore's is working hard to make its mark as a spot to pick up a grinder on the go or a few pies for a family sit down.
 
When they talked about the kind of restaurant they wanted to have, the husband and wife team of Denialle and Paul LePior strived to bring a family oriented establishment that delivered to the West Ashley and John's Island crowd. The LePiors originally hail from Port Huron, Michigan, voted an All-America City in 2005, and have been living in the Lowcountry for over eight years. With Fiore's, they wanted to bring the familiar feel of the pizza and sandwich places back home, which explains the big kitchen and quaint waiting area.
 
Denialle says the restaurant harkens back to the old college town. "Ninety to 95 percent of the pizza places in Michigan are pick-up and delivery only," she says. "Fiore's is organized for the guest on the go."
Denialle says Fiore's fills a niche. Before now, there has not been a place that slices its own meats, makes its own dough and sauces daily, and delivers to the surrounding neighborhoods. There's also a difference in a sub, hoagie, and grinder. While the meat-veggie-cheese-bread combo is universal, grinders are usually toasted and always made with mozzarella cheese.
 
The LePiors say in their preliminary research, they looked at several options for getting the restaurant off the ground, but decided early on their restaurant had to be family owned and operated to avoid being handcuffed by corporate policies and recipes. "We didn't want to franchise at all," Denialle says. "We wanted the freedom to be as creative as we want."
 
Paul spent about a year in the kitchen developing Fiore's recipes. As the name would suggest, Fiore's includes staples of an Italian pizza place crossed with a New York style deli, including but not limited to meatball and chicken Parmesan grinders and the supreme pizza. But Fiore's also has more modern and cross-cultural adaptations to reach a broader audience, such as the pulled pork and taco grinders, and the Reuben pie, which is a meat pie just like it sounds like. Fiore's also offers a selection of flavored crusts to pique your interest, like garlic herb, Cajun, or Ranch.
 
The owners hope to buck the idea that Fiore's is just another pizza place. They say there are a few business practices that set the place apart. For example, the menu includes a number of vegetarian options and everything is baked, nothing is fried. The LePiors are also perfecting their website to enable an online ordering system, and have established an E-club granting perks to its members.
 
The LePiors are also mindful of the variety of needs for the community. Fiore's is involved with fundraising for the SPCA, giving a percentage of profit on every morsel sold for aid to the organization. Fiore's is also participating in the Palmetto200-a 200-mile overnight relay race from Columbia to Folly Beach to help raise money and awareness for Louis' Kids, a charity that helps fight childhood obesity.
 
Fiore's Pizza & Grinders is located at 3642 Savannah Highway, Suite #160 in the Publix shopping center at Main Road. For more information or to order, call 556-5571, or go to www.fiorespizza.com.