To say that David Calvo, better known as Chef David, is a likeable person, is an understatement.
Calvo draws you in with his enthusiasm and easy laugh as he shares stories of his past and plans for the future.
Those plans include making his new restaurant on Penn Avenue in West Reading — Chef David’s Pizza & More — a 24/7 operation serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night snacks.
“Everything else is closed,” Calvo said. “The only places open all night are Sheetz and Wawa, and how much Wawa can you eat?”
Chef David’s is currently open every night until 3 a.m., drawing large late-night crowds on weekends and some weeknights.
“Last night was Monday and we were busy until we closed at 3 a.m.,” Calvo said during a recent visit to his shop. “You never know when people will be out and want something good to eat.”
Restaurant Business ‘In His Blood’
Calvo, who lives in Wyomissing, has been working in the restaurant business since he moved to Tarrytown, New York from Costa Rica in 1998.
“I was 14 and I got a job in a diner. I washed dishes and cleaned the bathrooms. I worked like a dog, but I loved every minute of it, and over the four years I worked there the owner taught me everything I needed to know,” Calvo said. “The restaurant business is in my blood, and when I was 18, I opened my first place.”
Also at age 18, Calvo got married and bought his first house. After operating three different restaurants in New York, he and his family, which includes four children, ages 21, 17, 16 and 14, moved to Berks County in 2014.
In addition to Chef David’s in West Reading, Calvo owns Giavanna’s Pizzeria in Kenhorst and Wyomissing Limo LLC. He formerly owned Chef David’s Food and Friends in Wyomissing.
“You know how it is. You get one place going well and then you can start looking at something else to do,” Calvo said.
More About Chef David’s Pizza and More
As indicated in its name, the new restaurant is not just about pizza, although in addition to a basic pie with your choice of many toppings there are 20 gourmet pizza options.
Chef David’s also serves wings, appetizers, salads, burgers, calzones, stombolis, gyros, hoagies, cheesesteaks and dinners. His cheesesteaks, Calvo noted, are getting a lot of attention.
“Right now, everybody is talking about my cheesesteaks, even though we got Tony’s just down the street there,” Calvo said.
Calvo said he and Antonio “Tony” Lavigna, owner of Tony’s West Reading, a restaurant known for its cheesesteaks, enjoy a friendly competition.
“I told my friend Tony that we’re going to be Pat’s and Gino’s, Gino’s and Pat’s, like in Philly,” Calvo said.
The inside of the restaurant is small, with a pickup counter and about half a dozen seats looking out onto Penn Avenue for diners-in. An outdoor seating area is being improved and should be reopened within two to three weeks.
In addition to a robust takeout business, Chef Tony’s delivers within about a five-mile radius. It also partners with numerous delivery services, including Slice, DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grub Hub. Catering is available with delivery not restricted to the five-mile radius.
The restaurant offers weeknight pick-up only specials, including seven dinners and large Philly cheesesteaks for $9.99, and pizza specials on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
“We want people to be able to enjoy our food,” Calvo said. “Everything is so expensive these days. We just want to give people a little break.”
A Father-Daughter Team
While Calvo oversees everything food, his daughter, Bri Dembi, manages the business sides of Chef David’s and Calvo’s other operations, handling finances, marketing and other tasks.
“I grew up in the restaurant business and while I was never interested in the food part except for tasting it, I was always drawn to the business side,” said Dembi, who graduated from Wyomissing Area Junior Senior High School and currently lives in Hamburg with her husband, Ragon.
She and Calvo work closely as a team, clearly enjoying one another’s company.
“I’ve been watching him work since I was a little kid,” Dembi said. “I learned from the best.”
‘Off to a Great Start’
Calvo and Dembi are encouraged with the early success of Chef David’s, which had its grand opening on July 12.
Some weekend nights there are lines of people waiting for a late-night slice, sandwich, or Italian water ice, Calvo said, while producing video to prove it.
He strives to be active within the West Reading-Wyomissing community, and is planning a fundraiser for Wednesday, July 30 to benefit Wyomissing Police Sgt. Kevin Quinter.
Quinter is participating in Race Across America, a cross-country bicycle race that enables participants to raise awareness and funds for charities of their choosing. Quinter is on a team for Zoe International, an organization that works to end human trafficking.
Chef David’s will donate half of all its proceeds generated between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. that day to Quinter.
“It’s really important to me to support the community that supports us,” Calvo said. “We’re off to a great start over here and my goal is to make a signature out of this place. It’s going to be something special; something big.”
Chef David’s Pizza & More is located at 500 Penn Ave. in West Reading. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday 12 p.m. to 3 a.m.
