Monique Bartosh slid into one of the booths at Miner Moe’s Pizza, smiled and let out a heavy sigh.

“I can’t believe it’s been 30 years,” she said, shaking her head. “But I still love what I do.”

In 1992, Monique, whose nickname is “Moe,” and her husband, Scott, opened Miner Moe’s in the Raley’s shopping center in Grass Valley after a former pizza parlor, Deano’s Pizza, had closed. When they first spotted the “for sale” sign in the window, they knew it was meant to be.

After recruiting family and friends to help clean and remodel the 3,500-square-foot restaurant, Miner Moe’s opened in 1992. With laser-like focus on the success of their new business, the couple lived in Moe’s sister’s garage for the first year and a half.

“All we did was work and sleep — we had 18 and 19 hour days,” said Moe. “It was just us and one other employee. We were so lucky to have family members pitch in. Not many places delivered then — that helped us build a business. Despite the stress of starting a new business, we always had a great time.”

Fortunately, the young couple already had a wealth of experience in pizza-making. Moe started making pizzas at a Sacramento Round Table at the age of 13 and went on to work at Mark and Monica’s Pizza and Mountain Mike’s Pizza. Scott had already worked for Little Caesar’s, Straw Hat and also Mountain Mike’s — all by the age of 21.

When Moe was just 17, she spotted an attractive young man in the parking lot outside Round Table.

“I’m gong to marry him someday,” she confided to a friend.

As it turned out, it was Scott. The two were married in 1990, just two years before opening Miner Moe’s.

When the Bartoshes’ daughter Cordelia was born in 1999, work didn’t stop.

“We had a nursery in the back with a playpen and a swing,” said Moe. “When she got a little older she’d ride her Big Wheel around the restaurant and chat with customers.”

When their son Bobby was born in 2004, Moe would carry him in a backpack while she made pizzas. During the Friday night rush, she paid a high school student to hold him.

By 2005, the Bartoshes were ready to relocate and eventually found a place on Colfax Avenue, but after many months, the move was eventually squelched due to permitting issues. Moe and Scott were paying month-to-month rent at their original location in hopes of moving, but unfortunately, news from the landlord came too soon. They would have to move.

“They gave us five days to leave and we had nowhere to go — I was numb, I was a wreck,” said Moe. “We had been in that location for more than 15 years.”

Suddenly, their business was without a home. Moe said she tried to keep it together in front of her kids, despite their lives being in limbo and having to dip into their retirement savings. But one day, everything changed.

After dropping Bobby off at day care in the Seven Hills Business District of Nevada City, Moe pulled into a parking lot on Argall Way to collect herself. She was crying. When she looked up, she saw a “for rent” sign in the window of an empty business. It was meant to be, she said.

When Miner Moe’s opened up again four months later in January 2008, their loyal customer base followed them to Nevada City. There were still a few, however, who “refused to cross Brunswick.”

“It took about a year to rebuild the business,” said Moe. “We had to explain that the owners were the same, the pizza was the same and that we were never going to open on Colfax Avenue. I think it helped that we have always delivered, since the day we opened.”

Today, Moe continues to oversee the staff at Miner Moe’s, while Scott owns and runs a food manufacturing plant in Auburn. The two have recently introduced their crafted small-batch artisan sauces, which are bottled and for sale at the restaurant. Flavors include Smoky Bacon Ketchup, Tuscany Lemon Herb Marinade, Traditional San Francisco Cioppino, BBQ Sauce, Creamy Tomato Vodka Pasta Sauce and Horseradish Mustard.

Moe and Scott’s kids are now fully grown — Cordelia is 23 and Bobby is 18 — yet the family business continues to be a place where students come to do their homework after school or wait for their parents to pick them up after sports practice.

Moe says she enjoys playing the “mama bear” role to Nevada City’s young people, some of whom are the children or grandchildren of customers who came in as teens some 20 to 30 years ago. Current and former staff members are like family, she said — many continue to come in to say hello when visiting from out of town.

In fact, Moe keeps a photo album of her former employees.

“It warms my heart,” she said. “Some go on to college or into the military and come back — one is now a doctor at the hospital. I love them all.”

“I’m grateful to have grown up in my family’s business — I watched my two dedicated and hard-working parents keep Miner Moe’s Pizza going against all odds,” said Cordelia. “From a move in 2007 that didn’t work out — leaving us in extreme debt for years to come — to making it through the COVID crisis. I learned that all anything takes is some elbow grease, commitment, and the belief that you can do whatever you set your mind to. I consider myself lucky to have spent so much time within the walls of that restaurant. It shaped my character, fostering my hard work ethic and love for community.”

Longtime favorites on the menu continue to be the “Malicious,” a pizza packed with pesto sauce, pepperoni, pine nuts, garlic and artichoke hearts. Along those lines, the top selling sandwich is the “Pesto Veggie,” boasting pesto sauce, olives, artichoke hearts, lettuce and tomatoes. Dough is homemade daily, as are the sauces (Scott’s secret recipes).

Nine out of 10 customers are regulars, said Moe, and newer nearby businesses have added to the volume, such as Ribald Brewing, In Town Campground, Plaza Tire, The Onyx Theatre and Elevation 2477, which is the dispensary across the street.

“I think an important part of our success is that I’m always here — no problem goes undone — we really emphasize a good product and customer service,” said Moe. “We feel very loved in this community. I plan to be here another 20 years. I love my customers and I love my crew. I just love what I do — always have.”

Miner Moe’s Pizza is located at 102 Argall Way in Nevada City. Call 530-265-0284 for more information or visit http://www.MinerMoesPizza.com.

The contact Staff Writer Cory Fisher, email her at Cory@theunion.com.

From the office of Jesse Wilson, district attorney:

Readers around Grass Valley and Nevada County make The Union’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.

Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil. If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.

User Legend: Moderator Trusted User

Do not sell my personal information