Pizza shop owner nominated for business award
Woman considered one of best in region
Nino Sylmar, SWT Correspondent
11-04-2009
Sherry VanDyke said she really doesn’t know who nominated her as a leading minority business owner for this region of the country. The nomination process for the prestigious award is through the region’s many chambers of commerce, professional organizations, the business community and the general public.
“I really don’t know who nominated me,” insists Sherry VanDyke, president of MK’s Gourmet Pizzeria & Shoppe located on State Park Road near the Claytor Lake exit of I-81. Mrs. VanDyke has just been notified that she’s been selected as one of the region’s Top 100 Minority Business Enterprise award winners for 2009 by the Top 100 Minority Business Enterprise Awards Magazine. The letter sent to her reads, in part, “You are considered one of the best in our mid-Atlantic region of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia.”
Sherry was also invited to attend an event honoring the winners which will take place Sunday, Nov. 15 from 3-6 p.m. at the Inn and Conference Center, University of Maryland University College in Adelphi, Maryland.
Sherry recalls that it was sometime in year 2000 when she and her husband, T.J. first passed by the empty building on State Park Road near Claytor Lake which was destined to become MK’s Gourmet Pizza. Sherry made a comment that the building formerly occupied by a boat dealership, was going to waste. “Maybe we should do something with it,” she told T.J., who at that time owned a restaurant in Christiansburg.
A lot of legwork and plenty of elbow grease went into the project. In February of 2005, MK’s Gourmet Pizzeria & Shoppe was born.
“This is my child,” Sherry says, when asked if she had any children of her own. She adds that she and T.J. now spend about 100 hours a week at the restaurant but love every minute of it.
In the beginning the restaurant only had, maybe, six tables and chairs. “I thought people would just pick up something here and go on to the lake, but then this one guy came in one day and sat down, waiting to get served. That’s when we decided that maybe we should expand a little bit,” she recalls, smiling.
Business began to pick up and T.J. had to come out of retirement to help out. “In the beginning, we thought we’d just do this thing at a slow pace,” she grins, “but it didn’t happen that way.”
One addition made, a huge investment, came in the form of a large, 10,000 lb., Italian-made brick oven called the Renato. It was built in Texas and transported on a flat bed to Dublin. The VanDykes recall how it took a whole day just to move the oven from the flatbed parked outside to inside the restaurant, through a now sealed garage door. “We had only this match allowance,” Sherry says, indicating a space of less than an inch between her forefinger and thumb. “I don’t think anybody else has this kind of oven in the area that we know of.”
The Renato oven is where they bake their pizzas and bread for sandwiches, and for recipes that call for roasting and/or baking. MK’s reputation has grown far and wide, not only due to their almost exotic food preparations but also for the atmosphere and friendliness of the service staff. “We have people from New York and New Jersey and other states come here from their motels to eat and buy gifts. Even locals,” she explained.
One couple, Greg Horn and Rachel Potter of Claytor Lake say that they come to MK’s at least twice a week. “You can’t beat the taste,” Greg intones. “Awesome,” chimes in Rachel.
Sherry says she makes sure that all the gifts for her shop are made in Virginia, explaining that she uses the Internet to Google search gift items to make her selections. In addition to her husband, who helps around the restaurant, Sherry says that her parents also lend a helping hand. Her dad, James Cregger, comes around to mow the grass and does minor landscaping, weather permitting. Her mom, Yvonne McConnell, visits frequently to share a cup of coffee and chat or help tidy up the restaurant. “They’re my rock,” she comments.
Sherry VanDyke is member of the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce and is on the board of Beans and Rice of Pulaski, a community economic development organization that builds assets and develops capacities in low and moderate-income families through economic and educational programs.
According to the magazine’s website, The Top 100 MBE awards were created to recognize enterprising women and minority entrepreneurs that fuel the nation’s economy through their innovation, sacrifices and dedication. “These business owners are living their dreams and making significant contributions to their clients, professions, industries and the communities,” the magazine further states.
MK’s Gourmet Pizzeria & Shoppe is located at 4941 State Park Rd. in Dublin.
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