Key Largo residents Ted and Deanna Dorr know a thing or two about what goes into making a great pie. For the last 20 years, they’ve owned two pizzerias in Colorado and say success boils down to high-quality ingredients.
“When I read that these guys were using Grande cheese, I had to come check it out,” said Ted Dorr. “It’s the most expensive cheese you can buy for pizza, and the reason is because they don’t put any fillers or anything else in it — it’s strictly cheese,” he added. The Dorrs jumped at the chance to check out the new pizzeria during a recent Key Largo Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting event.
“They obviously aren’t about saving money, they’re about providing a quality product,” said Dorr.
On Sept. 14, Coast to Coast Pizza Company opened its third location, in Key Largo at 99625 Overseas Highway.
“We started in Marathon, but we always had our eye on Key Largo. So when this place became available, we were like, ‘We’ve got to do whatever we can to make it happen,’” said Omar Maldonado. He and his wife, Nicole, own three Coast to Coast Pizza Company locations, along with the SS Wreck & Galley Grill in Marathon.
The couple has not always been in the restaurant business. Nicole is an attorney, and Omar, an Army veteran, was the director of sales for Keurig Dr Pepper. The couple had been based in Los Angeles. During COVID, Nicole’s law firm went virtual, giving her the freedom to work from anywhere. After her mother passed away in 2021, Nicole returned to Marathon — where she was raised — to care for her father. Omar followed, and the rest is history.
“He’s always wanted to open up a restaurant,” said Nicole.
After buying the SS Wreck & Galley Grill, the couple set their sights on pizza and opened their first Coast to Coast location in Marathon, followed by a second in Fort Lauderdale, and now the third location in Key Largo.
“Never in a million years did I think we would be doing this; I thought I was going to retire with my firm in Los Angeles,” said Nicole.
“I think what sets us apart is we try to do everything in-house and really bring true fresh ingredients,” said Omar.
Coast to Coast Pizza Company makes its own salad dressings from scratch, pickles its own jalapeños, and even cores fresh pineapples for toppings. The Grande mozzarella cheese is shredded in-house, and the non-bleached, non-bromated flour comes from regenerative farmers.
But the big game-changer, says Nicole, is the water filtration system.
“The New York Water Maker is what sets us apart, and we actually did a before-and-after taste test,” said Nicole. “We add the New York water to our dough; it’s set up with a special filtration system that mimics the water in New York,” she added.
Coast to Coast Pizza Company offers New York, Detroit and Sicilian-style pizzas.
“We do slices for lunches — not a lot of pizza places do slices — and then we have what’s called ‘my pies,’ individual pies,” said Nicole.
“We can’t have enough good pizza places in Key Largo,” said Suzi Youngberg, chamber of commerce president. “They’re a great addition to our community.”
Coast to Coast also offers a homemade Key lime pie that will be showcased in next month’s Taste the Keys event, a month-long culinary celebration sponsored by the chamber.
This is a true family business. The Maldonados’ son, Omar III, manages the Fort Lauderdale location, and their daughter, Madison, helps with administration.
“Growing up, I never saw this for my parents,” said 25-year-old Madison, who holds a psychology degree from Syracuse University.
What’s next? The Maldonados have plans to open a Coast to Coast Pizza Company location in Omar’s home state of Michigan and then possibly yet another shop in Key West. Franchising down the road is not off the table.
“We’ve talked about it — people have approached us. We’ve talked to different companies; we might franchise,” said Nicole.
Sandy Hostetler and her mother Stefi Whalen made the drive up from Tavernier to check out Key Largo’s newest pizzeria.
“I’ve been kind of following it online and then I saw the opening signs, I saw the ribbon-cutting tonight and grand opening and I figured let’s check it out. We bought a pie and had tastes and it’s unbelievable, it’s delicious,” said Hostetler.
The Coast to Coast Pizza Company in Key Largo is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
