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Remember Marge’s Pizza? The sauce is back in Preston

'It brings a smile to my face to hear from people who remember the sauce and who love it and remember it just as much as I did'

Nostalgia is often triggered by reminders of happy times.  

For Jeremy Thibodeau, it’s a time remembered as a child, sitting behind the pizza counter of Marge’s Pizza in Preston.   

“I remember sitting there eating mounds of cheese and sauce, watching the Flintstones, and anything else that would keep me occupied and out of my grandmother’s hair,” Thibodeau said.

His grandparents, Marge and Bill Mouery, ran the popular pizzeria on Church St. in Preston from 1969-1987.

“That’s where you went to have your pizza back in the day. It was the place to be. I remember that growing up, everyone talked about it. And since then, people have asked why no one in the family does it again,” Thibodeau said.

Today, Thibodeau wants to bring back that taste from his childhood.  

People can go online and order jars of Marge’s Pizza Sauce to add to their own homemade pizza pies.

Thibodeau said Marge’s Pizza Sauce is part of a number of original sauces from his grandmother’s recipe book.

“Everyone's making their own pizzas today, which is great, and many have great memories of Marge’s Pizza Sauce,” Thibodeau said.

It’s these memories Thibodeau said, that makes bringing back his grandmother’s recipe, all worth it.

“My mom and I have talked about this for a long time. My mom has always made sauce and pizza for people here and there. We’ve always done pizza at Easter, when I think my mom makes about 24 pizzas for family. People are always commenting on how they miss that taste,” Thibodeau said.

The plan to bring back Marge’s Pizza Sauce began with the help from his mother Judy, three years ago.

“We want to bring that back to the Preston community. It's amazing when I see the picture of my grandmother’s store opening night in 1969. A small three topping pizza then was $1.95," Thibodeau said.

“My grandfather Bill always wanted me to start the pizza shop. I work in public service, so I just haven’t had the time. But, I finally said, you know what? Let’s try it and see what happens. If it works, it works. And by the responses we’ve been getting, it’s going great. I really want to carry on that tradition of my family, and if it wasn’t for my mom, I would be lost without the recipe because I can’t decipher what my grandma was talking about in 1969.”

Thibodeau has created the website, Marge’s Original Sauces.

“We went through all of the trademarking, seeing what’s out there, and connecting with people. I learned all of this on my own. So, I’ve been working lots of late hours, but my mom has been a great help,” Thibodeau said.

“Right now, our sauce has to be refrigerated and is good for six weeks. But I challenge anyone to wait that long. I’ve never had a jar last me more than a week!”

Thibodeau and his mother have partnered with Cake Lovers Unite on King Street East, using the kitchen to produce the sauce.  

“We were looking for a commercial kitchen.  We wanted to do it right. My grandfather took pride in doing things right the first time and I’ve taken that on in my own life. We wanted to take all of the right steps.”

Cake Lovers Unite happens to be right around the corner from the old pizza shop.

“We walk to the back door, and we see the old shop on Church Street. Our first night walking out of there, my mom and I just looked at each other thinking yes, this must be it,” Thibodeau said

“Cake Lovers Unite is very gracious to let us use this space. We pre-order and sell on Saturdays and Sundays at the store. It benefits the bakery and us. It’s a great partnership and that’s something my grandparents always supported, helping Preston and other businesses in the community.”

Sales are going strong for the much sought-after sauce, not only locally, but Thibodeau said he has received requests internationally, as well.

“We’ve been getting requests from people in the Dominican Republic, Arizona, Alberta, and all over. Many of them are from people who used to live in Preston once upon a time,” Thibodeau said.

If the business grows, Thibodeau said he might have to look into a cold packing type facility and see how the sauce can be made shelf stable.

“We are really excited. We’ve been working on this for three years, trying to make sure that everything we do is right. And we're so thankful for the support from so many people on Facebook who have sent messages and emails. It’s been amazing.”

Thibodeau said that the sauce often reminds people of the experience of Marge’s Pizza on a Friday night, years ago.

“It brings a smile to my face to hear from people who remember the sauce and who love it and remember it just as much as I did.”

“There are so many stories about Marge’s Pizza,” Thibodeau said.

“I’m sure my grandparents are looking down saying, I told you!”

Marge’s Original Sauces can be ordered at marges.ca/shop and on the Marge’s Original Sauces Facebook page.


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Barbara Latkowski

About the Author: Barbara Latkowski

Barbara graduated with a Masters degree in Journalism from Western University and has covered politics, arts and entertainment, health, education, sports, courts, social justice, and issues that matter to the community
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