| Word on the Street Ex-Fresno State athlete opens pizza restaurant. |
June 2008 Fresno Bee Article
Back in 1978, Art Williams left Chicago to play basketball for the Fresno State
Bulldogs. But over the decades, he never forgot the tastes of home -- the
deep-dish pizzas and Chicago-style beef and sausage sandwiches his mother
perfected as proprietor of the Williams Inn restaurant on Chicago's South Side.
Now Williams has brought those hometown specialties to Fresno. On May 31, he
opened his new restaurant, The Chicago Connection, an all-family affair that he
hopes his California customers will like enough to spread far and wide.
"It's like a gourmet pizza, you know?" is how Williams, 50, describes the deep-dish
Chicago-style pizza he serves at his new restaurant in the Hoover Marketplace
shopping center at the corner of First Street and Bullard Avenue.
Those familiar with his hometown's signature pizza pies -- and pies do accurately
describe the thick-crust, heaped-topping Chicago-style pizzas when compared to
the more common, thin-crusted New York-style pizzas -- know what he's talking
about.
Or, as Williams, a star Bulldogs player turned Fresno educator, describes the
difference, "It's like eating a cheap donut, and then going to a French bakery."
But The Chicago Connection isn't just about pizza. Williams also serves signature
Chicago-style sandwiches, including tender corned beef and an Italian beef and
sausage combination he calls "The Capone," as well as a selection of other dishes
and beer, wine and champagne to give "that Chicago flavor."
"It's a family restaurant," he added. His brother, Steve Williams, is a manager, and
his son, Arte Williams, runs the front counter. His wife, Debra Williams, and
daughter, Niki Williams, also work there.
But if Williams' hopes for the restaurant come true, The Chicago Connection will
soon expand beyond his immediate family. He's hoping to franchise the concept
throughout the state, "and throughout the nation, really."
Bulldogs. But over the decades, he never forgot the tastes of home -- the
deep-dish pizzas and Chicago-style beef and sausage sandwiches his mother
perfected as proprietor of the Williams Inn restaurant on Chicago's South Side.
Now Williams has brought those hometown specialties to Fresno. On May 31, he
opened his new restaurant, The Chicago Connection, an all-family affair that he
hopes his California customers will like enough to spread far and wide.
"It's like a gourmet pizza, you know?" is how Williams, 50, describes the deep-dish
Chicago-style pizza he serves at his new restaurant in the Hoover Marketplace
shopping center at the corner of First Street and Bullard Avenue.
Those familiar with his hometown's signature pizza pies -- and pies do accurately
describe the thick-crust, heaped-topping Chicago-style pizzas when compared to
the more common, thin-crusted New York-style pizzas -- know what he's talking
about.
Or, as Williams, a star Bulldogs player turned Fresno educator, describes the
difference, "It's like eating a cheap donut, and then going to a French bakery."
But The Chicago Connection isn't just about pizza. Williams also serves signature
Chicago-style sandwiches, including tender corned beef and an Italian beef and
sausage combination he calls "The Capone," as well as a selection of other dishes
and beer, wine and champagne to give "that Chicago flavor."
"It's a family restaurant," he added. His brother, Steve Williams, is a manager, and
his son, Arte Williams, runs the front counter. His wife, Debra Williams, and
daughter, Niki Williams, also work there.
But if Williams' hopes for the restaurant come true, The Chicago Connection will
soon expand beyond his immediate family. He's hoping to franchise the concept
throughout the state, "and throughout the nation, really."
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| The Chicago Connection 5370 N First #114 Fresno, CA 93710 Ph: 559-436-8696 Fax: 559-436-8697 |
| * Average wait time 40 minutes. |
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| Call ahead and we'll have it ready when you arrive!* 559-436-8696 |