It’s all about the dough for Summit Slice owner Shawn Gill — pizza dough, that is.
Gill opened the restaurant with his family last year at 100 Old Lackawanna Trail Road, Clarks Summit, with the hope of creating a neighborhood pizza shop feel.
The eatery has a lot to offer, from pizza to a customized Philly Cheesesteak to interesting sides such as Corn Nuggets, Pizza Frita and Mac-n-Cheese Fries. Gill loves to experiment and try new recipes, and he always is open to new suggestions.
Chef’s Table recently chatted with Gill about his pizza shop that’s full of variety.
Q: What is the history of the restaurant?
A: I am a very picky eater. I have eaten pizza daily my whole life and always wanted to toss some pizza and see what I could do, so I took the opportunity May 5, 2019, in Clarks Summit. I grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania and have eaten at the best our area has to offer. As a patron of many of the old-time pizzerias, I watched, asked questions, listened to what was going on, saw that most cared about the quality of their food and gained a lot of inside knowledge. I wanted to create that neighborhood pizza shop where you can enjoy a great slice with your friends after school. I have always been successful in business, and pizza was my first love besides my mother. I finally put that passion to work in 2019, and it has been a huge success.
Q: What type of food do you serve?
A: Summit Slice has a huge appetizing menu, but my passion is truly in pizza; I love the dough more than you know. We make everything homemade in our shop daily with the highest-quality ingredients and industry brand names. We have amazing hot and cold hoagies with our fresh buns. We have made some signature fresh pasta dishes like our Summit Chicken Riggie. We have the fresh-cut wing bites and wings with a ton of homemade sauces. There are fresh, healthy salads, wraps and gluten-free options. We have delicious desserts — you have to try them — including Tiramasu, Chocolate Mousse Cake and more.
Q: What’s your specialty?
A: We specialize in customer satisfaction. We are willing to try new recipes or out-of-the-box foods to keep it fun for you. I would have to say our New York Traditional Round Pizza and our NEPA Square Tray are our top specialties. We add so much variety with our homemade sauces, toppings, multiple cheese blends and fresh dough crust, you will have a ton of favorites. Our five-cheese special blend is what put us on the map, and everyone raves about it. You can put that on anything, and it will elevate the flavor. We offer a true Philly Cheesesteak with many options to customize to your liking; I suggest the five-cheese blend and our Riggie sauce. We have the meatiest wings in the area with more than 18 in-house sauce flavors, and I am constantly open for new suggestions. We do have homemade pasta and an amazing signature pasta dish that I really enjoy, our Summit Chicken Riggie Pasta Dinner.
Q: How did your menu come to be?
A: We wanted to make you feel welcomed and relaxed so that you can enjoy your favorite pizza. The menu was a combination of my personal favorites, my staff’s favorites, a few local suggestions, a few grandmas’ recipes and a lot of daily pizza experiments in the back. We come up with something weekly and wanted to offer the highest-quality menu at an affordable price.
Q: What are your most popular dishes and drinks?
A: They include the Summit Chicken Riggie Pasta Dinner, Summit Square Special Blend, New York Traditional Plain Round, Vodka Sauce Pizza, Grandma Pizza, Stromboli with Riggie, Cup-N-Char Pepperoni, steak, the five-cheese blend, fresh dough Garlic Knots, homemade marinara and many more. All of our house wing sauces sell like crazy, but my favorite is Sweet Fire. We have people from all over that travel to eat here, and they all have different favorites. We will have a bar in the future.
Q: What type of seating do you have?
A: There is comfortable booth and table seating.
Q: What kinds of entertainment and specials do you offer?
A: The best set list of jams plays all day long. We were looking to add some live acoustic guitar sets with my buddy Tom Osborne and anyone else that would like to entertain and enjoy the best pizza.
Q: Do you offer catering, event space, etc.?
A: Not yet, but it’s something that has been repeatedly requested by businesses, schools and other customers.
Q: Where do you see the restaurant headed in the future?
A: To the top of the world, or at least we will be doing a bar and restaurant and possibly opening a second place in Colorado.
Q: Do you offer takeout, delivery or curbside pick up?
A: We offer all of the above, and we deliver the farthest in the area.
Summit Slice
Address: 100 Old Lackawanna Trail Road, Clarks Summit
Phone: 570-587-4042
Established: 2019
Owners: Shawn Gill and family
Cuisine: American-Italian hoagie and pizza shop
Normal hours: Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; closed Tuesdays
Online: Visit the Facebook and Instagram pages.
Laura Rysz is the features copy editor and calendar editor at The Times-Tribune and runs the Talk of the Times column, which focuses on local fundraisers and other events. She also writes Chef’s Table that profiles restaurants around the region. Additionally, Laura curates events online on AccessNEPA.com. Laura is involved in the special Mother’s Day edition and curates occasional features Marry Memories and Times Travelers. She is a graduate of Haddonfield Memorial High School, New Jersey, and earned an English professional writing degree with a minor in mass communications from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre. She also earned a certificate in Social Media Marketing from Rutgers Business School. Contact: lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5228.