J. Christopher’s Pizza-Pasta Mike and Adriana Swift purchased J. Christopher’s Pizza-Pasta four years ago.[/caption]

J. Christopher’s Pizza-Pasta has seen some of its current customers go from celebrating adolescent birthdays to hosting a wedding rehearsal. The restaurant has been a Kingwood staple since it opened 36 years ago when there were few food options in the area, co-owner Mike Swift said.

“This is a Kingwood tradition,” Swift said. “This is part of what the community is about.”


Now Swift and his wife, Adriana, are looking to revitalize J. Christopher’s for new generations of Kingwood residents.


This summer, the Swifts plan to renovate the pizza joint’s interior, which has not been updated in a decade, and add several new items to the wine and food menus, he said.


The couple will also continue to grow the catering wing of the business they opened a year ago. After booking only two catering jobs in their first month last May, J. Christopher’s is booked to cater 12 events this May, Swift said.


“That piece of the business has grown really well,” Swift said. “Hopefully, next year we can get a vehicle and get more into it.”


J. Christopher’s menu features Chicago-style pizza as well as pasta, salad and hamburgers. Each hamburger is named after a Kingwood neighborhood, such as The Trailwood, The Bear Branch and The Woodland Hills.


However, what separates J. Christopher’s menu from other similar eateries is that just about everything from the croutons to the sauces to the dough is made fresh every day, Swift said. Even for appetizers such as calamari, fresh squid is shipped in and cleaned at the restaurant.


“We’re not one of those places that just gets a can and dumps it out or gets something frozen,” he said.


“We make our dough. We make all of our salads.”


The Swifts purchased J. Christopher’s from its original owners, the Brennan family, four years ago. Swift worked as a restaurant management executive while Adriana served as a teacher’s aide.


The Swifts are involved in the community and sponsor local schools and churches, he said.


“The Brennans—they left a pretty big legacy,” Swift said. “They were very involved in the community, and we are, too.”



J. Christopher’s  Pizza-Pasta


2245 Northpark Drive, Kingwood
281-358-6601
www.jchristopherspizzapasta.com
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sundays