It's a Piece of Pie at Alfred's Tomato Pie

It's 3:30 p.m. and the phones won't stop ringing.

It would seem that everyone wants a tomato pie from on the Black Horse Pike. 

The atmosphere at Alfred's is more your favorite aunt's dining room (filled with your favorite cousins) than pizza joint. It is a place where you come to enjoy and where you come often.

"People want to be taken care of and that's what we do," said owner Terri Berkholder, who bought the restaurant along with two of her daughters, Jessica Barrett and Summer Stanley, in May 2010.

The family was a longtime fan of Alfred's Tomato Pie, which had been open for about five years under original owner Alfred Rossino. When Rossino closed his doors and put the restaurant up for sale, the family was disappointed that their favorite restaurant closed.

"We were insulted," joked Jessica.

Terri's husband saw the restaurant for sale on Craigslist and the rest is history.

Jessica, who worked in banking, made a career change. Summer, who was attending culinary school, prepared to open a restaurant. Terri's other daughter, April, helped organize the financing. And Terri, she had been itching to do something and Alfred's fit the bill.

Rossino taught Terri, Jessica and Summer how to make the thin-crust tomato pie. The trio tweaked the recipe a little, and the phones have not stopped ringing.

Alfred's cooks and serves between 200 and 300 pies each week. 

The highlight of the menu is, of course, the Original Tomato Pie. It is made with a thin crust (slightly sweetened with honey) and topped with hand-crushed tomatoes, garlic and a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella. If you aren't a tomato fan, the Original White Pie is cheesy and garlic-y—the perfect vehicle for any of the 14 different toppings which include baby clams, fresh Italian sausage, mushrooms, peppers and their newest combination, spinach and artichokes. 

Everything is made to order. Want half sausage, one-quarter clams and a sprinkle of vidalia onions? No problem. 

The House Salad is a do-not-miss menu item. According to Jessica, patrons call just to order the salad, which is made of fresh romaine and tomatoes tossed with generous amounts of toasted sesame seeds and a house made balsamic vinaigrette.  The salad recipe is from Terri's mother (and originally from a now-closed restaurant in Fort Worth, TX).

Alfred's opens every day (except Monday, when they are closed) at 3:30 p.m. Eat in (the 10-table dining room is cozy, eclectic and decorated seasonally) or take-out (quick turn around in about 20 minutes or less, depending on how busy they are). The restaurant is also BYOB (perfect for a date night) and cash-only.

Large parties are encouraged to call in advance, although tables cannot be guaranteed. 

Pizzas are sold by the whole pie only ($13 for the original). Alfred's Tomato Pie is located at 9 South Black Horse Pike, close to the township library.

Editor's Note: This story is part of an ongoing Patch series looking at the changing American Dream.