What began as a pandemic-era pizza fundraiser has grown into a Greenwich Village restaurant, and the family behind it is staying close to its Catskills roots.
“We started out of charity for our church in Durham,” said Melanie Wesslock, co-founder of The Pizza Box. “Whether it’s in the city or up here, we have a dedication to building communities, supporting the community.”
Melanie Wesslock, her husband, Michael, and their son, Maxwell, founded The Pizza Box in Cornwallville, a hamlet of Durham just outside Windham, in 2021. To raise money for a new roof at the historic Durham-Oak Hill United Methodist Church, they turned to a wood-fired oven Michael, an avid pizza maker, had built more than a decade earlier.
Locals quickly developed a taste for the Wesslocks’ pizza, so the family took it on the road.
Melanie Wesslock found an old horse trailer in Coxsackie and converted it into a mobile pizzeria for events and fundraisers across Greene County. She painted the trailer and learned to weld, and the family installed a separate wood-fired oven.
Windham’s Autumn Affair was one of The Pizza Box’s first events. The Wesslocks enjoyed it so much that they keep coming back, even after opening their brick-and-mortar shop on Bleecker Street in Manhattan last year.
“We did the Autumn Affair the first year we started, and we’ve continued doing it since,” Melanie Wesslock said. “We look forward to this every year. We’ve got a prime spot on Main Street.”
The Pizza Box was one of the busiest stops along Main Street on Oct. 10 as crowds poured into Windham for the fall festival. Lines stretched down the block as the Wesslocks churned out pizzas.
“I’m not going to lie, I’ve waited all year for this,” said Dustin Geary of Windham. “The pizzas are the perfect size. You can’t really get something like this around here.”
The menu included the “Old School,” a cheese pie with organic Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes, and the “Classic Pepp,” the same pie topped with Ezzo cup-and-char pepperoni. Other options included a traditional Margherita with fresh mozzarella, organic tomatoes, and basil, and the “Farm2Table,” an unconventional white pie with apples, chives, and balsamic vinegar.
“I went kind of basic and got just cheese,” said Jamie Custen, who came to the Autumn Affair from Cairo. “I know what I like.”
Beyond the Autumn Affair, the Wesslocks return to the Catskills a few times a year for community events. The Pizza Box will pop up at the Oak Hill-Durham Volunteer Fire Company firehouse at 103 county Route 22 on Saturday, Oct. 24.
“We do a certain number of community events every year, because that’s who built us,” Melanie Wesslock said. “To be able to come back up, whether it’s Windham or Durham, it doesn’t matter to us.”
Back in Manhattan, the team keeps its Catskills connections on the menu. The restaurant at 176 Bleecker St. sources ingredients from farms and artisans upstate, including honey from New York and produce from Story Farms in Catskill.
The Wesslocks said their shop is the only place in New York City to buy Windham’s own Mountain King beer, which they bring to the city themselves.
“Our whole thing is about supporting local agriculture, seasonal food, small businesses, local farms,” Melanie Wesslock said.
Despite the distance, she said it was important to keep showing up for the community that helped them grow.
“We love seeing all the familiar faces,” Wesslock said.
Connor Greco is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Windham, Hunter, and surrounding Greene County communities. Send correspondence to connor@theoverlooknews.com.
