Pizzeria DeVille in downtown Libertyville closes after nine years
His passion for pizza didn't waver, but the restaurant business changed after the pandemic and it was time to end a nine-year run in downtown Libertyville, says John Durning, proprietor of the popular Pizzeria DeVille.
Within hours, his lengthy posting on Facebook early Tuesday drew hundreds of responses and well wishes, a testament to how the New York native became a champion for the community and its activities.
"John Durning is a generous man with a huge heart for downtown Libertyville and many other local causes," said Jennifer Johnson, executive director of MainStreet Libertyville.
"He enthusiastically supported MainStreet Libertyville and his presence will be missed," she said.
The last brick-oven pizza was served Monday night at the after party of MainStreet Libertyville's Twilight Shuffle 5K fundraiser. The closing was effective Tuesday and the space is available for rent.
"While many things led to this day, the reality is that, try as we did, I just couldn't pull us out of this swoon, and we are out of time and resources," Durning wrote.
Durning says he was able to weather the pandemic with community support, but the marketplace changed. Staffing became more difficult and expensive, and the cost of products jumped due to inflation and supply chain issues.
The pandemic changed the world, and restaurants took a heavier blow than many other industries, he wrote.
The Libertyville resident moved to the area in 2000, working in commercial real estate and banking. But a lifelong passion for food led him to convert a dry cleaning store for "my little dream pizzeria" at 404 N. Milwaukee Ave., in the heart of downtown.
"If I don't do this and take a crack at it, I'll regret if for the rest of my life," he recalled Tuesday.
The name was inspired by a friend from Lake Bluff who told Durning he was going to dinner in "the Ville" - a name he and others had coined for Libertyville. Durning added the "D" for his last name.
His pizza followed the old-world Neapolitan style, with a variety of distinct offerings including Pride of the Yankees - sausage, shaved meatballs, roasted peppers, caramelized onion, basil, and mozzarella and Romano cheeses.
"It was a pizza place that offers pizza nobody else does around here," Durning said. The gregarious entrepreneur was known on occasion to belt out a favorite Italian song.
He had worked in restaurants years before but hadn't opened one. He made many community connections.
In 2018, Durning was presented with the Dom Lentini Downtown Business of the Year award for "exceptional leadership and dedication" in promoting and benefiting downtown.
In 2020, he spearheaded a small business relief raffle in which downtown businesses received $1,000. A local charity also received a portion of pizza proceeds from a monthly Charity Pie Tuesday program.