Joshua Mincio, Hannah Mincio, and their son Prosper Mincio in St. Joe’s Cafe. Adriana Azarian | Collegian

A new pizzeria and café opened in downtown Hillsdale Oct. 24. 

Located at 92 N. Broad St., St. Joe’s Café serves Neapolitan-style pizza, salad, pastries, and Ad Astra coffee. 

“People can come together and work, but people can also come together to feast,” said Hannah Mincio, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Joshua. “We’re trying to do both, and central to any feast or celebration, or any community, is food.” 

Offering eight kinds of pizza, a seasonal salad, three dessert options, and a limited drink menu, the Mincios said they intend to keep the menu simple. 

Hannah and Joshua said they use local, organic ingredients, with most food either made in-house or sourced locally. 

“The food that we’re making and serving has as many whole foods as possible,” Hannah said. “Every item is sourced intentionally, because with pizza, there aren’t that many ingredients, so each ingredient matters a lot.”

The Mincios said they want the restaurant to bring together people from the college and the town. 

“A lot of college folks don’t make their way into the town, and town folks don’t make their way into the college, so this is a space where those two worlds can meet,” Joshua said. “We wanted to create a beautiful space where people just gather.” 

The Mincios said they designed the café to have a European feel, keeping its original-but-refinished floors, checkered marble tile, and parlor chairs.

“The largest inspiration for the design decision was having the space reflect our food. It’s simple, and everything is real,” Hannah said.

Joshua developed his love for working with dough while baking bread as a teenager in Oklahoma, selling about 60 loaves a week. He then learned to make Neapolitan pizzas in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Louisville, Kentucky, before coming to Hillsdale to start St. Joe’s with Patrick Whalen, owner of Ad Astra Coffee. 

“We found this building before my family found a house,” he said. 

The Mincios said their Catholic faith inspires their work, including the name “St. Joe’s,” after both the local St. Joseph River and Joseph, the foster father of Christ.  

“Christ is the bread of life, and St. Joseph was the guardian of Christ on earth, so he’s the protector of bread. And there’s a lot of bread around here,” Joshua said.

The couple sought to emulate Benedictine monasticism’s emphasis on hospitality in their business, according to Hannah. 

“The spirit of hospitality, the spirit of work, and the spirit of prayer are all being packaged up into one, and it’s just impossible to pull apart these things for us,” she said. “Our work is our prayer, our prayer is our work. And we see this whole space as just an opportunity for hospitality.” 

Junior Amelia Hilberg said she enjoyed her experience at St. Joe’s on its opening night. 

“I think the restaurant’s very beautiful and very elegant,” Hilberg said. “And everyone’s been very friendly and welcoming. Our server was lovely, and the pizza was amazing.” 

Senior Nick Barrows said he liked the restaurant’s Neapolitan pizza as well as its European decor and ambience. 

Hannah said she and her husband feel the restaurant was “built by love,” as they received help from students and members of the community to build their brick oven and assemble furniture. She said the staff also fosters an environment of serving one another.  

Junior David Meyers is a cook at St. Joe’s and a student who helped build the brick oven in the restaurant. 

“Dinner time at the pizzeria is super busy, a little stressful, but a ton of fun,” he said. “After the shift ends, we all make a bunch of pizzas and just sit down and eat.” 

Senior Eleanor Vaughn, a hostess at St. Joe’s Café, said she enjoys the relationships and conversations between the staff members. 

“I’ve never worked in a restaurant with that kind of service, just because everyone has gotten to know each other a little bit and is also a wonderful person,” Vaughn said. 

The restaurant is currently open for dinner Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m., and the Mincios plan to announce lunch hours soon. The menu is available online at stjoeshillsdale.com.

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