'Never say no to a pizza'

TIFFIN — For more than 30 years, Mike Shock has been part of the crew at Napoli Pizza. Now, as the owner, he is carrying on the traditions that have made the shop a staple in downtown Tiffin. "I bought Napoli in April of 2023," Shock said. "I started working there in July 1993 as a delivery driver. I worked there on and off ever since." Shock purchased the pizzeria from former owner Jerry Elchert, who had run it since 1989. The two built a strong friendship over the years. "Jerry became such a good friend and I wanted to stay and help him any way I could," Shock said. "We had talked for years about me buying it from him and in 2023, I finally did." Running Napoli is not Shock's only job. He also works as a crew leader at M&B Asphalt from April to November. Still, his passion for pizza is clear. "I love pizza! It is so delicious. You can eat it warm or cold. You can sit down and eat it or take it on the go," he said. "It's so versatile you can put just about anything on it. So many different toppings and combinations. You can never get sick of or bored of eating pizza. The same goes for foldovers too." That love for pizza started young. Shock remembers making Chef Boyardee pizza kits with his family as a child. "They were really fun," he said. "We hand roll all our pizzas out as the orders come in, so I've rolled out thousands of dough and dropped quite a few while tossing them in the air." His favorite part of the work is knowing the care that goes into each order. "The hardest side is the business side of course, trying not to charge too much for items, but still trying to make enough money to continue to run the business," he said. Born and raised in Tiffin, Shock has his go-to order. "Favorite all time pizza combo, probably pepperoni, mushroom, bacon, tomato and banana pepper," he said. "But our Jethro pizza is probably one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten." The Jethro is loaded with pizza sauce, pepperoni, ham, sausage, Italian sausage, beef, mushrooms, green olives, black olives, green peppers, onions, banana peppers, bacon and extra cheese. When it comes to toppings, Shock keeps an open mind. "I think almost anything can go on a pizza. Be creative, try anything," he said. "I have never said no to a pizza." Napoli's exact origin is unclear to him, but he believes it opened in 1958 and has had several locations in Tiffin over the years. Since taking over, he has made changes to the equipment and dining area while keeping the original recipes. "Our sauce is very different from the others. We make our dough daily and we make our own sub buns also. Always refrigerated, never frozen so I think that helps with taste," he said. "We hand-roll our dough as we get the orders. So it may take a few extra minutes than some of the restaurants that have dough machines or premade. Some customers like to watch us roll out and spin the dough." Napoli's Jethro pizza is a customer favorite, along with the ham and cheese foldover. "Our dinners are very good and come with a full loaf of garlic bread and a side salad and are a very good deal for the price," Shock said. While the shop has many younger employees, Shock is grateful for the team members who have been there for years. "Nicole, Mike and Donna are great to have running the business while I'm not around," he said. Fridays are often the busiest. "(It) Can be overwhelming at times while it's happening but when it slows down and you can breathe and relax it's very satisfying and a great feeling of accomplishment," he said. Regular customers are part of what keeps the shop running smoothly. "Some always order the same thing every time," Shock said. "Some order different things but always come at the same time or days every week. You can sometimes guess the names of the customer by their order. We have many, many wonderful regulars that are so nice and friendly." Shock also sees Napoli as part of the wider Tiffin community. "We do a lot of donating to local teams and support so many fundraisers," he said. While there have not yet been collaborations with other businesses, he is open to the idea. "With the right partnership, I think it would be amazing." Being a business owner in a smaller town has its advantages. "Whenever you're out around town, you can usually get some feedback on your business, good or bad," he said. For Shock, a good pizza starts with "golden brown, crunchy crust on the bottom" and toppings spread evenly over the surface. Rising food costs have been one of the toughest changes in the industry, but he said his team works hard to keep quality high. "We are always trying our hardest and mistakes happen," Shock said. "We don't intentionally mess up an order but we will apologize and try to make it right with you." Looking ahead, he wants Napoli to be "bigger and better than we are today." One of the shop's most distinctive offerings is the foldover. While Shock is not sure where it originated, he remembers the first one he tried in 1990, when a friend who worked at Napoli brought him a ham and cheese. "It was amazing," he said. The foldover has not changed in more than three decades, though new flavors have been added. "I have two favorite foldovers, the BLT and zesty with banana peppers added," he said. "We make our own meatballs, so anything with meatball either foldover or sub is one of my favorites." Customers have their own creative orders too, including ham and cheese without ham or a BLT foldover without bacon. Some have traveled from other cities to try one, while others who grew up in Tiffin make sure to stop in when they return.