955 Embarcadero del Mar, Isla Vista, CA 93117
circa 1980
The Pizza Man

I consider this charity work. I made and delivered the world’s most convenient and affordable munchies to starving students at UCSB.

The Backstory

The owner/manager of this franchise was a nice guy who reminded me of Fonzie. Except that unlike on Happy Days, he sold various organics out of the company safe on the side.

Most pizza customers would actually pay up while others would leave me hanging. I remember one drunk actually pulled a knife on me, demanding a free pizza. So I made him chase me and he tripped over a sprinkler head. The campus “police” were also fond of pulling me over for various minor traffic infractions. So I snuck a free deluxe pizza out to them one night and they left me alone.

One of my coworkers offered to buy my reproduction Les Paul electric guitar and Fender amp. So I naïvely lent it to him over a break and I never saw him again. I had fun explaining that to my parents, who had given me the gear for my 14th birthday. Lesson learned: Never trust a musician. 😉

I did learn to toss dough like a pro, however—a skill I maintain to this day. And that’s always a hit with the nieces and nephews. This job also helped me pay for my 1979 Toyota Celica Liftback.