Today I lost a long time friend. Not a person, but this has been a stable in my family's life for 33 years. Today the doors of the last Free Wheeler Pizza in Salt Lake City closed, probably forever. My brother, Max from It's the Journey started working for this pizza place in 1978 (sorry to age you Max). Over the years all three of my siblings worked there, and myself for 13 years. Even after I left Free Wheeler, Max continued to do some small work for them. The fact is that with the exception of about 1 year in the 80s Free Wheeler has employed at least one of my siblings, and Mrs Gearhead, for 33 years. So when I say I lost a friend, Free Wheeler pizza is a long time family friend to us.
What makes this Pizza place so special? The friendships gained there. Yes, I would say the pizza is great, it is a sourdough crust with a nice spicy sauce. The ingredients they offered were many and good quality, topped generously, but that was what made the customers enjoy Free Wheeler Pizza. However some of the best times of my life can be found in the 13 years I worked there. Some of my most famous lines that I quote come from somebody who worked there. I still hold some dear friendships that were gained. The saddest part for me though, is the loss for my good friend Herb Doom who has put everything he could find in his life into Free Wheeler Pizza for over 20 years (again sorry to age you Herb.) He has fought tooth and nail for those years to keep a legacy alive and serve to employ people who have character and life in them yet find they don't want to fit into the mainstream of life. Free Wheeler has employed many types of people, college students, lifetime students, budding musicians, and those who either got fed up with corporate crap, or wished to completely avoid corporate crap. Thank you Herb Doom for your years of service to Free Wheeler Pizza and for trying your hardest to keep such a legacy alive.
You will be missed Free Wheeler Pizza.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)