Flames Pizza, the most fire in town.

Ever tired of the old mom and pop pizzeria, where the décor is so old, and the seating area is so small?

Then, your place to go is Flames Pizza in New Paltz.

At the corner of Main and Chestnut Streets, this 21st century style pizza is meant to sober up the recently-drunk college student.

Let's meet Zead Ramada, the 27 year old owner. Ramada bought the pizzeria just this past January, and had high hopes when he bought it.

"Everything I have learned in the kitchen was from my mother's kitchen. She is Arabic, from Palestine."

"We opened it up, as a family business, and then I purchased it this January," said Ramada.

"I have been working here since the day it opened," said Ramada. Quality, according to Ramada, is what separates him from other pizzeria businesses in town. "We buy the best product there is. We're owner operated, so there's an owner in the door at all times. And we just put a lot of love into our food and our customers, so you know. We wouldn't make or serve anything that we would not serve to our families." Ramada drives to New Paltz from Poughkeepsie, every single day.

"If I ever saw competition, I would crush them," said Ramada.

However, the Coronavirus pandemic situation put a damper on his profits. "I was stressed, I was angry, I was confused, and did not know what to do. I had now just put all my money into a business that is nonexistent because we made 90% of our income after midnight. Now, with the bars not being open, it eliminates that 90%. I was scared, but we put a little time into it, and it is slowly growing."

Ramada purchased the business for a number in the hundred-thousands range.

Ramada boasts about the macaroni and cheese pizza. "We have a brick oven which makes our pizza generally better. Everything has been changed on the inside."

He spoke highly about the meatball calzone, which I got to try. "It just works with all the cheeses. Our highest selling is the ham calzone."

Another feature is the kettle corn machine, a staple of Flames, and something that is not typically at a pizzeria. "This was implemented three weeks ago. One of the guys used to do it at farmers markets. With a lot less of those now, and more restriction, he was not able to do it, so I just told him we would sell it out of here," said Ramada, of the popcorn machine in the store. There is a one price of $4 a bag. "It's organic, it's always made fresh, and it is really good."

Flames also offers some pasta selections. "Our penne a la vodka is very good. For pizza, also out margherita is also very good." Ramada gets his cheeses from the owner of the deli, that will soon open next door to Flames, Frank's Fresh.

There is a dollar, with a bunch of names written in marker on it. "We never made a wall for dollar bills. Two years in, one of my friends from back home came to visit me for the first time. They gave me one since I did not have one."

Ramada thinks of maybe expanding the menu. "I want to be able to expand the menu, however, we are not able to afford the same labor that we were used to."

"We were expecting to get our return from the bars, we we just were not able to. I can only imagine how the bars feel. I get most of my business off of them."

Ramada is not looking to get a liquor license because it would take a long time, and would be expensive to maintain.

Flames delivers by DoorDash, and diners can also go online and get the delivery option online.

"I love it, this is in my blood and what I do."