Farid Jarmash has been making pizza for over 40 years; his recipe is a well-kept secret. “The pizza sauce and the crust. Anybody can throw the vegetables and the meat on it,” he says. Farid has been running Fred’s Pizza, along with his son Tony for the last 13 years. The restaurant in Windsor, N.S., is known for their oversized slices. A few months ago, Tony had an idea to expand the business to include grocery store items. He sources what he can locally to help farmers, but what he can’t, like pineapple, he’ll buy. However, he doesn’t apply the same markup as bigger grocery stores. Everything he sells, he sells at a discount. “Anything that is in season I will try to have. So, for example, corn, watermelon, items like that, that even if we have to go pick them and sell, it will be fresh and it will be local,” says Tony. “We’re doing it for our community. Everything is for our community, just make it affordable,” he says. In the beginning, Farid didn’t think people coming in for pizza would be buying produce. “He started, and I tell you it was a great idea, and it’s been really good for us. Everyone supported us and we support the community,” says Farid. The produce is delivered every evening, and they’ve just added fresh baked goods, some of it made in-house by Tony’s mother. It too, is sold at a discounted price. “Definitely would help out a lot of local people right around here,” says customer Randy Dunbar. Further expansion is in the works at the King Street pizza parlour, but just like Farid’s recipe, the plan is a secret. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
