In The News
We were voted in for BEST PIZZA Restaurant and won for the second year in a row. We are humbled by your love and support.
Thank you, VT ❤️ #bestpizza
We made the Seven Days News!
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Colorful signs lure island travelers to the bright red food truck on a hill off Route 2, but there's much more to the Rest Stop than initially meets the eye. The deceivingly simple but top-notch fare almost takes a back seat to the stellar setting.
This new seasonal island outpost of Folino's — the pizza purveyor with locations in Burlington, Shelburne and Williston — proves its proprietors can sling more than wood-fired pies. The sandwich-board selections include a Maine lobster roll, smash burger, Buffalo chicken sandwich and gourmet hot dog as standards, along with appetizers such as crab Rangoon and jalapeño poppers. Sandwiches come with a choice of chips, shoestring fries or not-too-creamy coleslaw.
Customers can plop down at picnic tables beside the truck or stroll down a short gravel path to a newly built deck with umbrella-shaded tables and a large tent. On a recent sunny Saturday, I sat with my husband and our dog under the tent and marveled at the sparkling lake, wind turbines in the distance and boats docked below at Keeler Bay Marina — where the Rest Stop leases four slips for water-bound customers.
A lobster roll is hard to resist, even a few hundred miles from the coastal shacks that set the standard. The Rest Stop nailed the regional classic ($28) with a mound of lump-filled lobster salad blended lightly with mayonnaise, lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning, letting the fresh-from-the-water flavor shine through. It sat in a chargrilled sandwich roll on a bed of pleasantly crunchy lettuce.
The $9 price of a single hot dog might put off some diners, but this isn't your everyday ballpark frank. The extra-long, all-beef dog had a worthy snap and excellent flavor, according to my husband. For an extra $2, it came topped with whole-grain mustard and sauerkraut that Folino's makes with Peppadew peppers and beer, according to chief operating officer Seth Desrochers.
The Buffalo chicken sandwich ($14) delivered a delightful kick, with a tender breast fried to crisp perfection. Topped with a punchy Buffalo sauce, shredded cabbage and red onion, it virtually exploded with flavor.
The Rest Stop does pizza nights on Mondays and hosts live music on the deck, where a full bar includes Vermont brews on tap. For dessert, try the Sisters of Anarchy ice cream from Shelburne. I enjoyed the frosé ($11), frozen rosé mixed with a housemade syrup of strawberries, blackberries and lemonade that made me want to pause and enjoy the view even longer.
— C.S.
We have some BIG exciting news to share: Folino’s owner, John Koerner is to be inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame!!
Read more here: https://www.vermontsportshall.com/2023class.html
John Koerner’s Bio: https://www.vermontsportshall.com/2023koerner.html
Way to go John! Congratulations!
You are eating and supporting a carbon neutral restaurant! How you ask? Read below.
Folino’s Pizza has developed the Folino’s Climate Change Initiative, alongside members of the 52 Kids foundation, in order to negate our carbon footprint based on the principles of carbon offsets. At Folino’s, our motto love your place goes beyond our pizza and our restaurant walls. We believe in the importance of businesses taking action to make a greater scale impact on climate change.
WHAT WE DO DAILY:
• Composting food residuals and paper products. Last year we composted over 10,000 pounds of food waste!
• Reduced lighting and LED lights
• Employees walking or taking the bus to work
• Reduced water dishwasher and energy efficient equipment
•Wood oven = wood heat! (we mostly rely on the heat from the ovens in the winter)
•Higher temperature setting for AC
OUR IMPACT - OUR FIX:
Step 1: We did some calculations to determine the amounts of CO2 our business produces. We looked at our utility bills, food sourcing, fuel for our van and our wood burning oven. We discovered that Folino’s currently generates roughly 100 metric tonnes of CO2 annually. We intend to offset this by planting trees in Uganda.
Step 2: Planting 5 trees is equivalent to 1 tonne of CO2 offset. Using 100 tonnes as our baseline, we calculated that we need to plant 500 trees a year to offset our carbon footprint. In order to make up for anything we might have missed, we increased that number and have committed to planting 5000 trees a year. Our goal is to have a positive effect on the environment to help combat climate change!
Folino’s will be planting 5,000 trees in Uganda per year, which will offset our overall emissions and benefit the region and it’s people who depend on trees for shade, food and temperature control.
November 2019 - Pizza Today
May 2018 - Pizza Today
March 2017 - Seven Day's
March 2017 - Burlington Free Press
March 2017 - Pizza Today Magazine
December 2016 - PMQ Pizza Magazine
November 2016 - mental_floss
August 2016 - Shelburne News
Shelburne News and Folino’s Pizza announce the Love Your Place photo contest
September 2016 - WCAX
October 2016 - Local 22/44
June 2016 - MarketWatch
How food foragers make $300 an hour digging in the dirt, featuring John Koerner
