Joseph Charles, owner of Rock City Pizza, recently received recognition from ESPN and the Boston Celtics as a business owner. He joins Kwani Lunis in-studio to discuss his passion for pizza and being a minority entrepreneur.
Rock City Pizza received a warm welcome from individuals in the community when it opened, but it has recently reached national recognition.
Owner Joseph Charles was chosen for ESPN’s 2023 Champion Black Businesses program, which allowed him to meet with Mark Cuban of "Shark Tank."
The Boston Celtics also awarded Charles with a $25,000 Power Forward grant to put toward his business. All this effort and opportunity, Charles shares, will go toward continuing to open new locations.
Charles, a Haitian immigrant, is no stranger to the adversity that comes with making your entrepreneurial mark as a minority in America. He wanted to control his future -- as well as his love for pizza, of course -- which prompted him to start his own business.
He has since used his platform to champion other minority business owners, citing his mother’s influence on his ideologies and how hard work is integral to any venture.
Rock City Pizza features a menu with pizza, wings, sandwiches, salads, fries and more. He currently has two branches open, in Boston and one in Randolph. The establishment offers dine-in, pickup and delivery services. You can order both online and in person.
Charles stopped by Hub Today to talk shop with Kwani Lunis and share his steak teriyaki and chicken-bacon-ranch pizzas, two crowd-favorite flavors at his Boston and Randolph locations.
For more, visit rockcitypizzeria.com.
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