BOYLE — What do long-time Boyle residents and churchgoers, pizza lovers, and local history buffs have in common? The answer isn’t a punchline, it’s Boyle Pizza House’s new location, now open and serving fan favourites in the old St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
The village staple — and the best pizza in all of Athabasca, Barrhead and Westlock areas, according to Town and Country readers — has been under Darren and mom Charlotte Hill’s ownership for the last 26 years.
And after more than a quarter century at the helm and a career in pizza pie, Darren, his mom, and Darren’s wife Dionne decided the bustling business needed a fresh face and extra leg room.
“Things were shutting down here, right? I always felt I could do something, I could build something and have a place for people to gather,” said the younger Hill from the inside of the church-turned-restaurant days before the doors were opened to the public on Mar. 20
“With the grocery store closing and the bank closing and all the businesses closing here, I always thought it would be nice to be able to bring something better.”
Now with 1,500 square feet of seating and cooking capacity, another 500 square feet of uncovered patio, and a full basement to boot, Hill said Pizza House regulars will have more room to enjoy their favourite fares, and faster too, thanks to the addition of an extra oven.
“Friday nights in the summers, we’ll be caught up in orders, but there’s pizzas lined up on the counter waiting to go into the oven,” said Hill. “So hopefully getting the second pizza oven there won’t be as much of a delay.”
The new location may also become your newest favourite watering hole — Hill is working on acquiring a liquor licence for the joint, and hopes to turn the outdoor deck into the place to be for both year-round and seasonal locals.
Hill’s pizzaiolo (borrowed from the Italian, meaning a person who makes and sells pizzas) roots date back decades past the purchase of the Pizza House in 1999, and in a joint so not different than the one he recently renovated.
“My first job when I was 14 years old was a pizza place in Whitecourt, I worked there for seven years,” he said. And in a divine twist of the fate, the owners also decided to inhabit a former holy space during his tenure there.
Boyle Pizza House also joins the likes of Westlock-based Kerri’s Café and Bakery, located in the old Westlock United Church since 2020.
Preservation by pizza
When the old Anglican church was put up for sale in the fall of 2024, Hill said it didn’t take long for the partners in pizza to jump on the deal. While the members of the Boyle Archives Committee had a different vision for the future of the historic community fixture, the Hill family is preserving the unique and deep history of the building in their own way.
The wooden walls can still be spotted in the seating area, the old pews previously used during services, sermons, and ceremonies have been repurposed as bench seating, and the large stone lectern now houses the cash register instead of hymn books and minister notes.
Even the intricate stained glass windows dedicated to locals who donated their time, labour, and materials to construct the building in the 1920’s were saved during the renovation process, either given back to family members as far as Edmonton, or given a new display spot in the restaurant.
While he wasn’t familiar with the full history of the church when he bought it, Hill said preserving the legacy and character of the building was important to both him and presumably his patrons.
“A lot of people that probably used this church throughout the years are still in town. For them to come and eat here now and still see some of the stuff up, it probably feels good,” he said.
“A couple people said they’ve gotten married in this church … so come and eat pizza where they got married.”
The Hill’s did make a few major changes to the building, with more such as new siding to come in the following weeks. The staircase to the basement was relocated from the front of house to the back, and the team rehauled the HVAC system in order to meet restaurant standard and avoid sweltering summer days by the ovens.
Where the pulpit sat is now the kitchen, and Hill said the area needed a lot of work to bring it up to commercial cooking code. The months-long renovation process, accelerated by the help of a contractor, required all hands on deck in the last few days, with Hill and Dionne clocking late nights and early mornings to put the finishing touches together, eager to get back to business.
“Let’s build tables and get customers in here again,” laughed Dionne. “We just want to get open, I think we’re going to be busy.” added Hill.
