Our story begins in, of all places, Erie, Pennsylvania. As a boy, Dwight Pace became addicted to pepperoni balls he bought at a local pizza shop. He never forgot their delicious flavor and convenience, even though he hadn’t eaten one in years. He was living in far away Reno, Nevada. The idea of a pizza ball lingered in his mind—he kept thinking of how he could produce such a unique product, only a much expanded version.

Having talked about the idea for many years, he finally decided in 2008 to develop such a product. Thomas Edison once said, “Results! Why man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won’t work.” It may be a stretch to say that Dwight had a thousand failures as he developed the pizza balls and the equipment to make them, but he certainly felt like giving up many times. Diligently, he worked on his invention daily by either achieving or proving invalid one idea after another. His laboratories were his garage, various kitchens, and local machine shops. Friends and relatives were subjected to countless taste tests. A myriad of samples were made before the right ingredients and processes were acceptable. Whether it was confidence in this new creation, or stupidity and naivety, Dwight surged ahead with finding the perfect restaurant location.

Finally, the day came and Pace’s Pizza Balls were born!

The Pace brothers, Dwight and David, invested in opening the first Pace’s Pizza Balls restaurant. After three months constructing the location, hiring employees and pure panic—fearing everything from can pizza balls be made in mass or will anyone try them out—the doors opened on September 25, 2009.
After several months of refining, adding items to the menu, and raving customer approval, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at the Summit.

David and Dwight Pace are hoping Pace’s Pizza Balls will become a favorite in many town, cities, and states.