Pizza duo makes their dream come true

Photo by Photo by Tracye Dethero

GOOD COOKS — Jason Pearson (left) makes cinnamon sticks and cheese sticks, while Eric McCall makes ranch dressing at their restaurant, Shasta Pizza in Happy Valley.

Eric McCall, 29, and Jason Pearson, 28, both of Redding, and both co-owners of Shasta Pizza in Happy Valley met while attending Enterprise High School. After graduating from Enterprise High School in 1996, they worked together at Shasta Pizza on Victor Avenue—McCall for 10 years and Pearson for five. McCall was born in Redding and has lived in Shasta County with his family most of his life.

A year ago, the two were talking casually about opening up their own pizza business. The restaurant in Happy Valley became available and the two held firm to their idea. If other people could run a pizza business, they could too. McCall and Pearson had learned a trade and knew that they would be successful. Their goal for their business was to keep the restaurant nice looking, have a consistent and quality product that would keep the customers coming back. After being open almost three months, Shasta Pizza is still going strong with a staff of 15.

To reach as many customers as possible McCall and Pearson keep the restaurant open 7 days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. They lease the name, “Shasta Pizza,“ and the recipe for menu items from Brett Kenyon of Redding.

“The community has been very supportive of our business and we hope that they will continue to return,“ said McCall.

McCall and Pearson plan to support the community and surrounding areas in anyway they can.

“Our families have been very helpful not only financially but also with the labor to get the restaurant open. Most of the employees are family and they have really helped pull this together and kept things running smoothly. Most of all, they offer support to all of us and know that we are fulfilling a dream,” said McCall.

Shasta Pizza is located at 5219 Happy Valley Road in Happy Valley.