Grange Fair veteran opens pizza shop in Penns Valley. ‘Here for the long haul’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The new Bella Vita Pizzeria and Grill is now open in Millheim.
- Owner Curtis DeSousa brings decades of Grange Fair experience to the shop..
- The menu includes hand-tossed pizza, hoagies, wings, salads and children's options.
A new pizza shop recently opened its doors in the Penns Valley area.
Bella Vita Pizzeria & Grill launched in May at 105 W. Main St. in Millheim inside the former location of Original Italian Pizza. The pizza shop’s owner, Curtis DeSousa, chose to open a full-fledged restaurant after serving slices at one of Centre County’s biggest summer events for decades.
“I’m new to the restaurant business, but I’ve been in concessions my whole life down at the Grange Fair,” DeSousa told the Centre Daily Times. “Instead of doing it for one week a year, I’m doing this for life.”
Bella Vita’s menu is centered around hand-tossed pizzas sold in 10-inch personal pies or 16-inch large pies. Diners will find cheesesteaks, hoagies, salads, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, French fries and children’s options on the menu, too. DeSousa said his favorite dish is Bella Vita’s tomato, basil and pesto pizza, which features a ricotta and garlic herb base topped with mozzarella cheese, pesto and slices of tomato.
DeSousa said opening Bella Vita wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of his grandfather, who once sold pizza at the Grange Fair, too. The new pizza shop’s owner got his start at around 13 years old while running Dave and Curt’s Pizzeria and Grill, which still serves up slices at the annual summer event.
DeSousa’s grandfather, Arther DeFluri, was also the co-owner of State College’s Northland Bowl, while family on his father’s side of the family operated businesses of their own in and around Millheim. The Bella Vita owner says business experience and connections to the community were major factors behind opening his own restaurant.
“I’m definitely a community person. I’m here for the long haul,” DeSousa said. “I’ve got my blood and roots down here in Penns Valley, and we plan on keeping them here. There’s a real family lineage with our businesses.”
So far, Bella Vita has heard great things from its first few weeks’ worth of customers, DeSousa said. Business has been steady, but a few unexpected issues — including broken equipment — lengthened some waits during the shop’s opening weekend.
“There’s been some things to sort out, like learning the tools of the trade here and there,” DeSousa said. “Things are going well so far, really steady. We’re just going to get bigger and better from here.”
Bella Vita is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Monday and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. DeSousa said the pizzeria may close a bit earlier on Sundays and Mondays while his team works out some kinks at the newly opened shop.
Interested diners can contact the pizzeria and place an order by calling 814-930-2019. DeSousa said he hopes to get social media profiles for the shop up and running soon.
Bella Vita is the latest restaurant to open in the Penns Valley area this year. Chief among the newest options is the StillHouse, a new Spring Mills restaurant serving deli sandwiches, open-faced sandwich platters and craft drinks. It launched in March with the help of the team behind Otto’s Pub & Brewery and Barrel 21 Distillery & Dining in State College.
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