Audia's

As I made my way down I-75 early today on my way to Springfield, Ohio and the Electric Eel plant, I passed the Clark Street exit. Now, I don't know about you, but for me the Clark Street exit does, has, and always will mean one thing.

Audia's Pizza.

You took the Clark exit to Junction, then a right on Junction to Porter and there you were: Audia's. We got our pizza from them for years. It had thick, gooey cheese and those little pepperonis which curled up when the baked, letting the oils pool inside them. In other words, real pepperoni. And the pizzas always came in those large brown wax paper bags. Okay, one would be in a box, and the one in the paper would sit on that.

Whenever I was the one sent to pick them up, then 12 minute ride home was almost torture, waiting to sink my teeth into that pizza. Maybe it just tastes so good in my memory because I'm sentimental, but man, it was good.

Audia's was a mom and pop place and they were both disappointed that, when they decided to retire, none of their seven kids wanted to take it over. They were swell people as well as great pizza makers.

I never pass the Clark exit without thinking about them. And their pizza.