When Cassie Heitz and Seth Axelsen took over longtime staple Angela’s Pizza last year, they wanted to continue bringing quality pizza to the west side of Kalispell with their own twist.  

Now named Flathead Pizza, the restaurant blends Angela’s legacy with the new owners’ creativity.  

“It’s definitely a marriage between her recipes and our own,” Heitz said, sitting in the entryway of Flathead Pizza under the chalkboard menu. 

Heitz and Axelsen acquired the pizza shop after the death of Angela Fisher, who bought the shop from her parents in 1983. The store still boasts Angela’s sign on the roof, her wallpaper choice in the entry and the new owners still serve the Angela’s Combo — a pie with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, onions and green peppers.  

“It’s part of the history of this place,” Heitz said.  

Flathead Pizza, under Heitz and Axelsen, opened last October with both takeout and delivery orders. The pair, as they approach the shop's one-year anniversary, are thankful to the community for its support.  

The official anniversary on Oct. 15 marks the start of specials and giveaways leading into the Christmas season. 

At the time that the space became available, Heitz was working in financial planning and marketing, and Axelsen was a cook at another restaurant. They both were looking for a change and thought, “Why not?”  

“The family and landlords were happy to extend the lease out if they could find the right people to run it,” Heitz said. “It was unexpected, but we’re so thankful.” 

They wanted to make it their own while still keeping the original charm. To create their logo, they pulled a mix of oranges and yellows from the wallpaper.  

They deep cleaned the space, scraped the old signage off the window and refurbished the equipment. When they started, only one of the four ovens worked, but Axelsen has gotten three operating.  

Axelsen makes the dough for the crust in-house every day, allowing each batch to ferment for two days, which he says adds to flavor and airiness. He also makes the sauce by hand using a special recipe. 

It’s “made with love,” he said with a smile. And although it is a little different than Angela’s recipes, he said, patrons enjoy the pizza. In fact, they’ve maintained some of Angela’s regulars while taking on their own.  

Just in late September, a family from Oregon moved into a home near the shop. They came in every day for a week, Axelsen said.  

The restaurant sources vegetables locally, when possible, specifically in the summertime when shopping at farmers’ markets and local farmstands. The ranch dressing is also made in-house.  

“This is a homestyle, family-based restaurant,” Axelsen said. “It would be cool to watch it grow into a beautiful space where people can come hang out and enjoy.” 

As they enter their second year of ownership, Heitz and Axelsen look forward to continuing to serve the neighborhood with various pizzas, salads, small bites and locally inspired dishes.  

Four sizes of pizzas are served, ranging from 12 inches to 20 inches. There are three house combination pizzas, including Angela’s Combo, as well as a list of specialty combinations, including a taco pizza, a meat lovers option, a vegetarian combo and a barbecue Hawaiian pizza.  

Patrons are also welcome to choose from a list of toppings. Also on the menu is a 12-inch gluten-free option.  

Alongside the pizzas, Heitz and Axelsen make an assortment of salads and breadsticks, from regular breadsticks to pepperoni sticks to taco sticks. Regular specials run for a few weeks throughout the year.  

The shop is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for dinner. Orders can be placed by calling 406-755-4444 or at angelaspizzamt.com/menu/.  Search Flathead Pizza on Facebook to find updates on specials, giveaways and other events.  

The shop is located at 211 2nd Street in Kalispell.  

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].