Our Story

The History of Miner Moe’s Pizza

When you walk into Miner Moe’s you’re not walking into just a pizza place. You’re walking into an experience. An experience that evolved over a lifetime. An experience of passion, inspiration, tradition, family and love. An experience that fulfilled a dream, and a culture of togetherness in our community.

Hello! I’m Monique. I want to welcome you and share the history and journey of Miner Moe’s. I was born and raised in Sacramento. I fell in love with cooking watching my Aunt Cordie. I remember sitting on a stool watching her work magic in the kitchen. As a teenager, I landed my first job at the original Round Table restaurant, located in Sacramento. I loved working there. Especially, having the opportunity to learn how to make pizza - my absolute favorite food! Later I was able to build on that knowledge working for my friends Mark and Monica at their pizza place in Carmichael. The work experience I accrued combined with a passion for pizza led me to purchasing a Mountain Mike’s of my very own.

During a trip to Grass Valley to visit my sister, the stars truly aligned. Deano’s Brick Oven Pizza was on the market for sale at the perfect time! An offer was made and accepted and a dream became a reality - Miner Moe’s Pizza was in business! I was so excited to invest my future in a place I truly loved and a place I could raise my two amazing children! I could tell this would be a family affair. Doors opened in 1992, but it didn’t fully feel like home until we moved to this spot in Nevada City in 2007.

Just much as Miner Moe’s has been part of my family, my family has been part of Miner Moe’s! In the beginning there were more jobs to be done than people to do them so family members pitched in to help- some even while working full time jobs! My siblings would come to help on the weekend- their only days off. To this day I feel blessed by their love and dedication. My beloved dad would come in and do all the handy work, always with his customary glass of wine (cheers dad!). My sisters worked the register while my mom and brother rolled dough in the kitchen, prepped the cheese, diced veggies, and baked mouthwatering fresh pizzas from scratch.

My parents owned their own business for thirty years; I garnered so much advice and wisdom from them as I followed in their footsteps. My kids have been raised at Miner Moe’s. My daughter Cordelia, named after my aunt who inspired my love for cooking, was born in 1999. My son Bobby, named after his uncle, was born in 2004. I would take them to work with me almost every day. At one point I even had a crib in the kitchen! Cordelia would parade through the restaurant on her big wheel waving to customers. Regulars would often refer to her as “little Moe” and one even made Cordelia her very own apron. Bobby would often make himself at home inside a milk crate, playing with Hotwheels as I worked in the kitchen. As the kids got older they still came to work with me. They spent many afternoons and evenings at the restaurant coloring, finishing homework, playing games, and even helping out in the kitchen. They even loved doing dishes! Now that they're young adults they are still a huge part of Miner Moe’s - though they don’t enjoy doing dishes as much! They always provide encouragement and motivation to try new things like online ordering or keeping up with all the social media platforms. You might run into them as they still drop by to help out their mom when they have an opportunity.

Although much has changed since the doors first opened in 1992, one thing remains… family, pizza, and community are my passion! I am so grateful everyday for the Nevada County community that considers Miner Moe’s their home. It is a wonderfully humbling experience to give back to the community that has given so much to me. Through the years I have learned firsthand how our community supports one another. Community is cultivated through purposeful interactions. I’ll never take for granted what that feels like and what a difference it can make to all of us. As soon as you walk into Miner Moe’s I consider you a member of my extended family. I hope you enjoy the tradition I’m passing along to you as our customer my love of family, community, shared experiences, and of course, pizza!

Thank you for being a part of the Miner Moe’s Story.