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Canada’s Pizza Queen
By Steven Chester
August 4, 2011
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 It was a circuitous route from computer code to pizza crusts, but Diana Coutu has truly found her calling. The owner of Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria creates award-winning pizzas through her Winnipeg family business, and has earned an international reputation for pizza perfection.
Working part-time as a delivery driver, while studying computer science at the University of Manitoba, she met and fell in love with fellow delivery driver Pierre, who is now her husband. Both decided that their chosen career paths weren’t what they were looking for.
“We did a little soul-searching over a couple of beers and talked about it,” reflects Coutu. “We fast-forwarded – what would our careers be like in five or 10 years? For me, I saw a cubicle. I’m a people person, so even though I love puzzles and codes, it didn’t seem like it would be the right decision. So we took a chance and made a handshake deal in owning a franchise.”
Handshake made, the Coutus began running an existing location of an international chain. Within three months of taking over the store, sales went from $5,000 per week to $12,000 per week. The now very popular store made so much money that its owners backed out of the deal and decided the store was no longer for sale. The handshake fell through.
Having just purchased a home nearby, the Coutus had no intention of leaving town or giving up their dream. Once again, it was time to look forward. They went out on their own and in 1996 started a small take-out and delivery only pizza shop.
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The goal, simply, was to create the best pizza, and customers would come. “We always wanted to have a really fabulous pizza with great ingredients – all natural ingredients and real dairy cheese,” says Coutu. The pizzeria creates five types of dough from scratch: premium unbleached white flour, whole wheat, crispy-thin, gluten free and their award-winning Moosehead Crust. Vegetables are selected and prepared by hand, and they carry 48 different toppings including 30 gourmet and 16 vegetarian offerings. Five types of cheese include low-fat mozzarella, cheddar, feta, Monterey Jack and garlic and chive havarti.
Getting the restaurant to today’s level of success wasn’t easy. In a Winnipeg market already heavily saturated with pizzerias, Coutu quickly realized that she had to find a creative way to stand out. The menu |
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at Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria alone puts the company apart from the crowd. With offerings like Moosehead Crust, Havarti Heaven, Ricky’s Revenge (inspired by hit TV show Trailer Park Boys), Sweet N’ Spicy Divine Swine and Pierre’s seasonal offering, the Poutine Pizza (featuring Quebec cheese); creativity is not in short supply.
Coutu’s efforts have won her numerous accolades, including Canada’s Best Pizza Chef of the Year in 2005 and 2006 by Canadian Pizza Magazine. Since then, she has been awarded several more times for Canada’s Best Pizza in pizza games in Las Vegas, Italy, and New York.
Constant press has bestowed Coutu with the moniker “Canada’s Pizza Queen,” a badge she wears proudly.
By 2006, success nearly caused Coutu’s tiny, 950-sq.-ft. operation to burst at the seams. After a brief shut-down, she re-opened at a bigger and better location, growing floor space by 50 per cent and upgrading to newer kitchen equipment.
Coutu’s success, as well as her strong views on issues such as dairy pricing and Canada’s supply management system, caught the attention of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association, and Diana became a Director of the association in 2009. The following year saw some personal changes as well, as she and Pierre became proud first-time parents.
Now Coutu has a new challenge on her ever-expanding plate: Positive media attention has brought visitors – and they’re expecting seats to sit in. After 13 years of take-out and delivery only, the pizzeria’s Winnipeg shopping centre location must now accommodate new demands.
“Last year, we were thinking of how to grow our business,” says Coutu. “Do we see ourselves with a second location, and how are we going to manage trying to be in two locations at once, even though we have great staff? The unit, right adjacent to us, still has a dirt floor and is the only empty unit in our mall. We decided to put a budget together, get a loan and pursue a dine-in.” The 47-seat addition with a patio is expected to open at the end of this month.
When asked about what drives her passion for pizza, the excitement is evident in Coutu’s voice.
“I’m just very passionate about really good food. I think pizza is the perfect food because you can just change it up. I can tell you about my favourite breakfast pizzas. If you’re really hungry, I can tell you about a really great pizza that will stick to your ribs. If you’re in a snacking mood, I think a thin crust, a bit of light cheese, a little bit of garlic and some sea salt, and just a tiny bit of specialty cheese, makes a really great snack.”
There’s no doubt that Coutu made the right choice back in her delivery days. “To be in this business and succeed, you have got to love people, and you have got to love what you do,” says Coutu.
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