When you walk into Two Guys from Italy, a local pizza restaurant located in Glendale, Calif., one of the first things you will notice is the abundance of Thank You awards on its walls. Among the many photos and certificates that say, “To our sponsor, Two Guys from Italy,” and even a folded American flag brought from Afghanistan by a pilot who flew in the war as a token for supporting his organization, you will see the name Jerry Rossi a lot.

Then, you meet Rossi himself, a restaurateur and an owner of this pizza franchise that’s been in Glendale for close to three decades now. Rossi sat down to talk to us about his business, discuss the challenges that he’s endured during the pandemic, share the charitable contributions he has made to the community and, of course, talk food.