Eastpointe, MI — A neighborhood pizzeria on Metro Detroit’s East Side, slinging za for nearly 70 years, is expanding its menu options and footprint under new ownership.

In mid-July, one of my foodie associates introduced me to Little Italy Pizza in Eastpointe and its new owner, Sean Katchuba. Little Italy Pizza has been an Eastpointe staple serving the greater East Side since 1959 for many years under the former owner, Mike Mannino. When Sean took over operations in 2024, his goal was to keep the original menu to honor its legacy, quality, and community familiarity, while incorporating additional Italian comfort foods that he grew up enjoying and learning to make from his family matriarchs.

Sean has also begun to expand the reach of Little Italy Pizza, recently opening a new, second location in Roseville that opened near 13 Mile and Utica Road at the end of May. With a new owner determined to build on an already profound legacy, obviously, I had to dedicate a foodie adventure out to Eastpointe to learn more about Little Italy Pizza and Sean’s vision for the pizzeria.

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I met up with Sean at the Eastpointe location on 10 Mile, just west of I-94, on July 19th, excited to check out a new pizza joint but also to learn more about the establishment’s history and blueprint for its expansion. Sean was in the process of preparing some chicken parmesan when I walked in, so we chatted as he cooked and I began shooting my b-roll footage.

Sean explained his dedication to honoring the original menu and golden standard expected from Little Italy Pizza’s patrons, while explaining some of the newer additions, like the enticing Chicken Parmesan being prepared before me. The crispy fried chicken breast with melted mozzarella commanded significant attention aromatically, as did the sauce being monitored and casually stirred in a pot by an attentive Sean.

He has a long history of kitchen-life, from early childhood memories of helping his mother in the kitchen, Sean being the oldest of 12 siblings. Sean said he would often jump in at the stove or wherever he was needed to help his mother.

“She put something on and then walk away from it. So, I was finishing it. And so, it was always kind of like a love of mine. And, you know, growing up, I always had this like dream, this like hope of having my own place and just seeing pizza boxes everywhere. It was almost like a daydream, but it felt like a dream to me. And now, I get to live my own dream,” said Sean.

Sean plated the Chicken Parmesan before me, elaborating on the usage of a family recipe for the sauce (the uniqueness of which stood out, and had a wonderful depth of flavor to it) as he drowned the pasta and massive chicken breast, which was entirely coated with melted mozzarella. He finished the plate off with some parmesan cheese, which in this case felt comparable to a cherry on top situation. I sampled a few bites and was enthusiastically impressed with how solid this dish was executed. The chicken was perfectly crispy and cheesy on the outside, while tender and cooked through to perfection on the inside, and was complemented perfectly by Sean’s homemade sauce.

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Sean went on to recall more memories from when he was growing up that initially sparked his curiosity with cooking. A lot of which he attributes to his family and growing up in an Italian household.

“Italian food has always been special to me. Italian food is what I eat. Italian culture is what I grew up in. My grandma would, you know, we go to church on Sundays. We go over to her house, and meatballs are cooking. You know, that’s what we’re waiting on. We couldn’t wait to eat these meatballs. I had to know how to make them, I had to know,” said Sean. “So after all these years growing up, when I was as young as ten, nine, eight years old, watching her cook, helping her cook, molding the meatballs. Now, I have an Italian place where I can make authentic Italian food like my grandma made, and also have fun and make pizza.”

Sean and I discussed at length our mutual appreciation for pizza and creativity in creating crossover dishes to accommodate various appetites. Like Sean’s creation of the Pizza Fries, a simple yet effective dish that scores across the board as a delicious and epic finger food. A great side to include in an order for the family or group, or a late-night snack. Sean topped the order with pepperoni and bacon, and portioned a good amount of sauce and mozzarella cheese across the order. It was really tasty, and with the option to mix and match various toppings at 99 cents, this is a side order that accommodates topping preferences for all!

I could tell that Sean was very passionate not only about cooking and making others happy, but that he really took the legacy already in place at Little Italy Pizza to heart, wanting to see it grow. Sean cares about making Little Italy Pizza’s patrons, new and old, joyful with every slice or bite of something new and dear to his heart, but says his team is what he credits with making his dream become a reality.

“I’m not possible without this fantastic staff I have. I have to mention my staff. I have one girl named Kayla, and she is like my right hand, and without these people, I couldn’t do any of this. So, we as a whole, we get in here early. I was here today at 8 a.m. We don’t open up until four most days, today we open at noon, but I’m here between 8 and 10 every day,” Sean explained. “It’s important to give that kind of food that I want to eat to other people. You know, like, I consider this my home, right? And I want my family to eat the same food as my customers. So that’s why I get here early, that’s why we do this, that’s why we cut our vegetables every day, that’s why we buy things where we buy them, and we make them the way we make them.”

A customer or two came in once the store had officially opened for the day at noon. We had to take brief intermissions so Sean could go and take customer orders, while one of his brothers diligently prepped square dough and began making orders as they came in. I overheard Sean’s thoroughness at one point explain all of the new desserts to a man who had come in and was deciding on an order. To be fair, I was equally impressed with the array of desserts that Sean had either introduced via his own recipes or imported directly from Italy. If only I had a cup of coffee, because I couldn’t get enough of those “S” cookies. Talk about keeping it authentic!

I managed to capture an exceptionally crafted pizza or two that got made during my time at Little Italy Pizza. As I continued to ask Sean questions about his vision for the future and learn more about his mission, he let me select a few toppings for a pizza of my own that I would be sampling next. While I enjoy every pizza topping and combination there is, I decided to go with one of my favorite combo classics: sausage and banana peppers!

The pizza went through the oven and came out absolutely perfect with a nice golden crust baked crispy with a Super Crust flavoring, which consisted of butter, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, and garlic. I grabbed a hot slice and enjoyed the buttery crunch of the crust, as well as the sesame seed addition to the texture. The sauce was hearty and light, which I was a fan of since some pizzerias tend to make their marinara a little too zesty, which sometimes leaves me grabbing for the Tums. But, in this case, the pizza sauce was perfect and still had a robust flavor, which, when combined with the savory and meaty sausage and bite from the banana peppers, was an absolute stellar slice of pizza. The pizza was also well portioned and a visual masterpiece, as you can see above.

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It was very apparent that quality was top of mind for Sean and his Little Italy Pizza crew. When it comes to taking over a known establishment that’s been around for as many decades as Little Italy Pizza has, Sean knew he had to rise to the challenge to meet that quality standard his customers have come to expect, while also offering them something new. Sean says one of his biggest motivators is being inspired by the next generation of Katchubas — his son.

“You know, Little Italy Pizza has been around since 1959. The product is outstanding. I mean, I’m not changing anything that people love. All I’m trying to do really here is bring new innovative ideas like the cannolis and things like that that are just different. But what really inspired me, I’ve always been inspired by myself, you know, I’ll show them or watch this, you know, that kind of thing. But then my son was born about three years ago. I had this different motivation, and like, it was almost like something just clicked,” Sean stated.

Sean explained how, back when he first learned that he was going to be a father, he knew a new chapter in his life had begun.

“I wasn’t motivated for me as much as I was motivated for him, and that changed my life; it changed everything. The way I think about everything changed. It wasn’t about, I’m going to show you that I can do it, it was, I know I’m going to do it because I have to for my son. And that’s when everything really took off.”

Sean explained several new menu items, including his recipes for the marinara sauce, cream filling dip for the deconstructed Cannoli ‘Chips and Dip,’ Tiramisu, and other items. Sean and I snacked on a couple of chips alongside the cream filling dip as he explained his rationale for the deconstruction. Aside from his ingenuity being downright delicious, his reasoning was quite sensible as it took a traditional, and typically messy Italian dessert, and made it more practical and shareable among a group of people! A truly perfect dessert side for a family or special gathering, the chips tasted exactly like biting into a typical cannoli, while you had the fun of dipping and amounting hefty portions of sweet, airy cream on every chip. Due to the thickness of the cannoli chips and the lighter consistency of the dip, you also didn’t have to worry about the chips breaking off or getting stuck in the dip, so needless to say, every bit of dip is going to be enjoyed by whoever orders it!

I rounded out the informal interview by asking Sean what he hopes customers, both new and old, will experience when ordering from Little Italy Pizza, and what they can expect ahead for the East Side pizzeria with expansion projects on the horizon.

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“I consider every time we make a pizza, it’s going out to a family member of ours, that’s how we treat it. You know, and that’s how I want to treat it, and be looking for us in other cities because we’re not done growing. We’re going to Roseville, we’re coming to Warren. We’re going to go everywhere. I mean, we want to grow, and we want to share this East Side tradition with the rest of the state, in other states, who knows where we’re going to go with this, right? And that’s why we’re not going to stop and we’re going to keep providing the best possible food that we can,” said Sean.

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I thanked Sean and his brother for having me swing through and try some of Little Italy Pizza’s delicious products. I walked away with a real sense that as Sean and his team continue to build upon the already great legacy of the pizzeria, in no time, we’ll be seeing plenty of other Little Italy Pizza locations popping up around Metro Detroit.

The top-tier quality is served in more ways than just through food, with Sean and his team determined to ensure every customer gets treated and fed like a member of their own family. Whether that’s through the sensational pizzas, wings, and other traditional menu items, or more through the Italian comfort foods and recipes introduced by Sean, the sky really is the limit for Little Italy Pizza, Sean Katchuba, and his team. If you find yourself around Eastpointe or Roseville, consider giving this pizzeria a try. Or, before you know it, maybe they’ll be bringing this revamped East Side legacy to a neighborhood near you!

For more information about Little Italy Pizza or to review the menu, click here.