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La Cocina Catering Offers Northern Door Pizza Delivery

Karen and Gil Garza – the Ellison Bay couple behind La Cocina Catering – have been busy this season as their pizza delivery service has picked up during the pandemic. Now in their fourth year of business, the Garzas run the only restaurant offering free local delivery in Northern Door, from the intersection of Highway 57 and County Road Q near Ephraim and north. They’re finding that customers appreciate the contactless delivery.

“We opened up earlier this year,” Karen said. “We opened up in the middle of March when we usually open in May. The need was there – everyone was in their houses.” 

The catering side of the business is understandably slower this season, but that hasn’t stopped the Garzas from finding ways to feed the community. At the start of the pandemic, when fire departments were working hard to rally volunteers and find solutions during the lockdown, the Garzas donated pizzas to help keep them fed and fueled. Now they’re talking to Stella Maris Church to see how they can best help local people in need.

“Everyone needs to help each other out right now,” Karen said. 

As a nurse by day, she knows very well how much COVID-19 has affected the county. As safety precautions during pizza delivery, they wear masks and sanitize frequently. 

Karen and Gil Garza with their two children. Photo by Yvonne Marie.

The Garzas’ delivery menu focuses on freshly baked pizza that uses dough made that morning and never frozen ingredients. 

“Our menu is simple,” said Gil, who preps the crust early every morning. “We have our signature pizzas and deep-dish pizzas, or you can create your own pizzas. Also fish tacos, chicken quesadillas, poppers, mozzarella sticks. We do offer gluten-free pizza, too.”

The signature-style pizzas include La Margarita: tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella; Big Kahuna: Canadian bacon, pineapple and red onion; Vegetarian: red onions, mushrooms, peppers and black olives; Garlic: roasted garlic cloves and cheese blend; and La Cocina: a deep-dish variety with Italian sausage, onions, mushrooms, cheese blend, olives and signature sauce. See the full menu and options on La Cocina’s Facebook page at facebook.com/LaCocinaCateringLLC or on the Slice app.

To order, call 920.634.9396 Thursday – Sunday, 5-9 pm. The Garzas will switch to Friday – Sunday hours as winter arrives, but they’re keeping their options open for now. Last year, they closed at the end of December, but they’ll consider staying open longer “as long as there’s a need.”

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