After 23 years in Walnut Creek, Pizza Oliva changes ownership, but the legacy (and recipe) lives on

In a matter of 12 hours, Walnut Creek’s Pizza Oliva was transformed into Ellie’s Pizzeria, and a new era began.

This summer, Pizza Oliva, which had been in operation for 23 years, was sold to a local couple, Karina Rosselli and Jonathan Waite, and renamed after their dog, Ellie.

In the month since it changed hands, Ellie’s Pizzeria has changed the chicken wings recipe, added new menu items, created a 12-flavor hand-scooped ice cream counter and generated a perfect 5-star rating with more than 100 reviews on Google.

But most importantly, Rosselli said, is the pizza recipe hasn’t changed at all.

“Everything is homemade,” she said. “And when we bought the place, the previous owners showed us how to make everything exactly the way they did it.”

The couple has no restaurant experience, but had a different motivation for buying a local pizza place.

“Pizza is our favorite food,” she said. “And the idea of making pizza every day for work, we thought this could be really fun.”

Right on.

The same Pizza Oliva specials continue to be the most popular menu items, with the “Chicken Paradise” ($23 for a medium), featuring creamy garlic sauce, spinach, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon and halal chicken, ranking as the top hit. Also popular are “The Works” (pepperoni, ham, sausage, bell pepper, onions, mushrooms) and the “Gourmet Veggie” (artichoke hearts, spinach, zucchini, black olives, topped with green onions).

Rosselli said that loyal customers have appreciated the comfort of the same pizza they’ve grown to love over the years, while also offering some suggestions that the new owners have taken to heart.

Among them: make the chicken wings crispier.

After spending late nights experimenting in the kitchen, Rosselli thinks they nailed it.

“The feedback has been really good and the community has been so supportive and kind,” she said.

Next up: Expanding the menu to add new salads and sandwiches, like a meatball sub that the couple has been working on perfecting.

Ellie’s has also applied for a liquor and beer license and hopes to offer those to customers sometime soon.

Details: Open daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., at 2400 Olympic Blvd. in Walnut Creek; elliespizzeriawc.com.