(Click on image to enlarge)
Jeff and Terri Wilson, owners of Ozella’s Pizza located at 630 North Kingshighway in St. Charles, holding the Ozella’s frozen pizzas that they have made famous. First Capitol News Photo by Tony Brockmeyer

Story and photograph By Tony Brockmeyer

In the morning and at lunch the restaurant is known as Lady Di’s. After 4 pm it becomes Ozella’s Pizzeria.

The Wilson family has been in the pizza and pasta business since 1955, It started with grandfather Red, then Jeff’s parents, Ron and Judy Wilson with Ozella’s on Highway 67 across from the old North Drive-In and now, after selling 6,000 frozen pizzas from their home in a year and a half, they are operating a sit down-carry out restaurant at 630 North Kingshighway in St. Charles.

Terri and Jeff are proud of their products and rightfully so. All their products are made from scratch from the old family receipes that they discovered several years ago in the basement.

“We are famous for our pizza, pasta, onion rings and italian hamburgers,” said Jeff. “Our salads are very popular and we make all our salad dressings,” said Terri. “Our meatballs and vegetable beef soup is also very popular.”

“We make all our own ingredients including the pizza dough, sauce and sausage” Jeff commented. “We are especially proud of our frozen pizza. It can be found in many of the bars and markets in the area and we always have it available at the restaurant.”Ozella’s Pizza offers seven kinds of frozen pizza for carry out and offers 12 different kinds of pizza prepared for eating in or carry out.

“We offer old style north St. Louis Pizza with thin crust,” said Terri. When Jeff’s parents operated Ozella’s on Highway 67 they were also known for their fried chicken. We are now offering the family recipe fried chicken on Saturday and Sunday.

Terri and Jeff met 25 years ago when they were both working at Ponticello’s Pizza in north St. Louis County. She was a bus girl and he was a cook.

“Dianne was very kind to allow us to share her restaurant. She closes at 1:30 p.m. and it was just sitting empty,” Jeff said. Now we come in about 2:00 p.m. and start preperation for our 4:00 p.m. opening.

Ozella’s restaurant is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They are open until 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Closed on Mondays.

I knew Jeff’s parents, now deceased, and dined at their restaurant in Jennings several times a week. I was never much of a pizza eater but could not get enough of their fried chicken. I had an opportunity to try one of their frozen pizzas and it was the best pizza I have ever eaten.

Terri and Jeff want to continue to increase their frozen pizza business and eventually would like to open Pizzeria Express locations.

Stop by and give them a try.