EVANSVILLE of A TASTE

TURONI’S PIZZERY AND BREWERY

The Evansville area offers no shortage of options for pizza. Hungry diners may choose from Neapolitan, Detroit style, deep dish, New York style, stuffed crust, thick crust and more. But the prevalent pizza in this area is the square cut cracker-crust, and Turoni’s founder Jerry Turner was one of Evansville’s pioneers of this pizza.

Turoni’s now boasts three locations – the Jacobsville neighborhood location on North Main, which opened in 1985; the Weinbach location opened in 1991 in the former Forget-Me-Not Inn building; and the Newburgh location, which opened in 2008. The Forget-Me-Not-Inn was chosen for its history, busy traffic pattern and proximity to Roberts Stadium and UE. Newburgh was opened because of constant customer requests, and it gave the opportunity for each of his 3 children to have their own store.

But the history of Turoni’s starts much earlier. Pizza was introduced to the Evansville area by George Hage (of House of Como fame) in 1953 at the original south side Roca Bar location. Turner recognized how popular pizza could be, and spent the early 1960’s perfecting his crust, sauce and homemade Italian sausage in his apartment before opening his first pizza shop. He made dozens of changes and adjustments to develop the Turoni’s flavor and texture we know and love today. His day job was in pest control, and later as a box salesman for Ohio Valley Container Co. He would then spend his evenings at 1113 West Columbia, in a building so small that it allowed for carryout only. In 1971 Turner went all-in, opening his first sit-down restaurant at 621 North Main, at the corner of Delaware St. The move to the current North Main location happened overnight, with the equipment rolled down the street on icy sidewalks so that the new location would be ready to open for business the next morning. He was always a very hands-on owner, according to family and those who worked with him.

The décor at all three locations is unique and very eclectic, harkening back to a time that the family had no spare funds to decorate the restaurant, so they hung up whatever they could find or whatever people would give to them. Today the collection of beer signs, photos, advertisements, tchotchke, and even a wild boar and moose head at North Main are what makes the experience of visiting Turoni’s so fun and memorable.

We can’t forget to mention something else Turoni’s is known for –beer. In 1996 Turner had visited McGuire’s Pub in Pensacola, FL and was impressed with the flavor and quality of the beer, as well as the polished brass and copper tanks. Little did he know that by opening his own brewery in what used to be a print shop next to the N. Main location, he would be tapping into what would become a worldwide cultural shift in beer production, the micro-brewery. His son Tom had no experience, but became the first brewer. Family members attended training courses in Clarksville, TN for several weeks and came back to help him begin brewing. The varieties came from experience, plus some trial and error. Upon opening in Newburgh, Turoni's added two fermenters for the capacity to brew enough product for all three locations. Turoni’s has two staples, the Honey Blonde Ale (#1 seller) and Thunder-Bolt Red, with numerous rotating IPAs, dark beers and seasonals. The Rudolph's Revenge is a customer favorite. The beers that are brewed on North Main can only be enjoyed at the 3 Turoni’s locations.

The restaurants to this day remain a family run business. Although Jerry passed away on May 7th, 2018, his son Tom Turner, daughters Terri Calhoun and Lydia Mueller and son-in-law Brad Mueller run the day-to-day operations. Brad’s son Seth Mueller and daughter Katherine Barker also work in the restaurant, along with Terri’s daughter Chloe Mankin and Tom’s daughter Laine Mand. They all are a part of carrying on the family tradition while providing a great experience to all of their customers. A little known fact is that Jerry’s wife Judie is the sister of local sports legend Don Mattingly.

The mascot ‘Uncle Vinnie’ was first penned in 1994 by local artist John Siau, who was an art teacher at North High School. He started doing caricatures of the Turner family members, which eventually led to the creation of the mascot.

The family is very proud of their history and legacy and have never entertained changing the recipes, the flavors, or their menu. Although thin crust has always been what they have served, Turoni’s did offer deep dish for a few year (1985-1989), but it was early for the area and never really took off. The thin crust is light and airy and is cooked faster and at higher heat to ensure crispiness. The recipe for the sauce and sausage were original to Jerry and are still made in-house. The vegetables are cut fresh daily - none of the ingredients are frozen. The dough is made in-house daily at the Main St. location and delivered to the other locations. My opinion of the perfect order? The House Special (homemade pizza sauce, Italian sausage, pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives, pepperoncini’s & tomatoes), or Vincenzio's Masterpiece "A" (homemade pizza sauce, ham, beef, pepperoni, bacon, mushrooms, green & black olives). Add anchovies to either for some umami and enjoy with a Thunderbolt Red!

Turoni’s offers pizza fundraising opportunities for little league teams, girl scouts, schools, animal rescues and other non-profits. You can learn more on their website www.turonis.com as well as when you can find the magicians at each location on weekends!

Parking is available in a private lot at each location. Business hours are Mon-Thurs: 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat: 11am-10pm and Sun: 11am-9pm. You can find them on Facebook (3 pages) by searching ‘Turoni’s.’

408 North Main St, Evansville, IN (812) 424-9871

@turonismainstreet

4 North Weinbach Ave, Evansville, IN (812) 477-7500

@turonisforgetmenot

8011 Bell Oaks Dr, Newburgh, IN (812) 490-5555

@turonisnewburgh

My food and dining page can be found at facebook.com/FFKSEvansville

Now Go, Explore, and Eat, Evansville!