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Owner of Westport Pizzeria to retire after '51 wonderful years’

After 51 years of making pizza for the people of Westport, the owner of Westport Pizzeria is finally ready to retire.

News 12 Staff

•

Jan 1, 2020, 12:08 AM

•

Updated 1,574 days ago

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After 51 years of making pizza for the people of Westport, the owner of Westport Pizzeria is finally ready to retire.
Mel Mioli has been making pizza almost as long as the day he first came to America from Italy in 1961.
Mioli says he opened his shop first on Main Street in Westport on Columbus Day 1968 and is finishing up his career on Post Road.
"It's been 51 wonderful years,” he says.
Mioli tells News 12 that it was his mother who taught him to make sauce and dough.
He says after all these years, he wants to finally retire and travel.
"I figure I should quit when I'm on top,” he says spiritedly. “I will be 80 years old soon.”
Matt Levey says he's been eating Mioli’s pizza for 35 years.
"I came here as a kid,” he says. “And now I get to come here with my kids. It’s extremely nostalgic."
Mioli says he will retire from the business next Saturday.
"And look forward to the next chapter of my life,” he says.
Mioli says he still not sure what's going to happen to his pizzeria, but he says he is thinking about writing a book about all of his experiences over the years.
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