Why this pizza place owner ‘laughed out loud’ after being called ‘the worst’

Here’s a look at stories to watch for in the Observer this week:

When asked how she reacted last month upon learning that Charlotte’s most prominent alternative newspaper had labeled her as the city’s “worst restaurateur” of 2021, Juli Ghazi’s eyes light up and a broad smile spreads across her face.

“A Google alert came up for Pure Pizza, and ... oftentimes it’ll be ‘pure’ in the sentence, but talking about another pizza place,” recalls the owner of the eatery that has been serving up farm-to-table pies on Central Avenue for the past 6 1/2 years. “So I was like, ‘Oh, this time it’s really about us!’ And then when I saw what it was, I was like, Holy (expletive)! That is funny.”

“I laughed out loud,” Ghazi says. “I really did.”

She says she was amused because she believes the people who foisted this label on her were the same people who wrote an article in 2015 that painted the initial news of her restaurant opening in Plaza Midwood in a negative light — or, at least, she perceived things that way.

This was entirely different, though. This wasn’t about her pizza at all.

This was about the fact that she has used her restaurant’s social media accounts to openly and aggressively oppose mask and vaccine mandates during the past several months of the pandemic, often offering snarky responses or sniping at people who criticized her decision-making.

And, to QC Nerve staffers at least, as argued in their Dec. 3 feature, “Hall of Shame 2021: Charlotte’s Worst of the Worst,” it was about the perception that Ghazi wasn’t the “ally to the marginalized in her community” she had seemed to them to be.

But Ghazi’s counter-argument is simple: If the things she has said about COVID mandates seem out of character to you, then you don’t really know her at all.

Split views on 2 proposed schools

A proposal to build an elementary school along with 430 apartments is facing opposition in what neighbors and some City Council members described as an already clogged part of town in south Charlotte.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, along with developer Woodfield Development, petitioned City Council this past week to rezone two larger parcels of land. One is to build a high school and 420 apartments just north of Interstate 485 close to Ballantyne. The second petition, which drew more opposition, is for a new elementary school on 36 acres across the street from Ardrey Kell High School.

The new schools, which are about 3 miles apart, are a result of a $922 million bond referendum that voters passed in 2017 and cleared the way for a surge of school construction.

City, county government

Charlotte City Council: The agenda for the council’s business meeting includes an overview of Charlotte SHOUT! planning initiatives, and an update on the COVID-19 federal stimulus investments. Monday’s 5 p.m. meeting will be shown on the Government Channel and the city’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners: The county board plans to hold its annual, two-day retreat beginning Thursday. The meeting can be watched on the Government Channel or online at watch.mecknc.gov.

Don’t miss

▪ The Charlotte Hornets head to Toronto to take on the Raptors (7 p.m. Tuesday), then head south to Indianapolis for a date with the Pacers (7 p.m., Wednesday). The Hornets return to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (7 p.m. Friday), and the Clippers (1 p.m., Sunday).

▪ Charlotte’s What the Fries restaurant will be featured on Cooking Channel’s “Food Paradise.” The episode, which airs at 10 p.m. Thursday, is set to feature two dishes, including a longtime favorite that will return to the Pineville-area spot’s permanent menu.

▪ Don’t forget to visit CharlotteFive.com for the latest in food, entertainment and things to do around the city.

Compiled by Rogelio Aranda

This story was originally published January 23, 2022 at 6:00 AM.