FENNVILLE, Mich. —
Nicholas “Chewie” Chard was driving late July when he swerved to avoid a deer.
“I always preached, everybody hit the deer, don't go off the road,” said Chard, the owner of Pizza Quest in Fennville. “Well, I swerved off the road, almost caught it just right, but I did hit some gravel and some grass, went down into a ditch, which would have been maybe okay, but then there was someone's driveway that I kind of ramped up like an Evil Knievel.”
When his car came back to earth, his back shattered. Chard couldn’t go back to work.
“You know, everything's just super fun for me to try to have a positive outlook,” Chewie said. “But I had to shut down my restaurant.”
Chard’s pizza creations are an extension of his art.
With his creative outlet paused, medical bills adding up and loss of income taking a toll, four self-described “biggest Pizza Quest fans in the galaxy” stepped up.
“Chewie is not just a pretty face and the best pizza artist of all time. He is also a husband, father of 3, and a new business owner that continues to enthusiastically feed our communities and make us all smile,” the organizers said on their page. “The revenue and product his business will lose from this accident (not to mention medical bills) could be devastating if we don't help. We ask as pizza lovers and human beings for your help.”
With the money from gofundme, Pizza Quest was able to reopen with a limited menu and a limited schedule.
“We just we have a skeleton crew,” Chard said. “So, I'm hoping that the community comes in with grace and treats them with respect because we don't know what's going to happen.”
Chard said life is a gift and the community rallying around the pizzeria was incredibly special.
“We just had this tremendous outpour of love. You know, I was blown away by how much love people had for me and my family and what we are trying to do,” he said. “So pretty, pretty rad, you know, just so unexpected.”
Like his recovery, Chard is taking his restaurant day by day. But he’s excited that he can continue to offer his destination pizzeria once again.
“I don't use the word, like, 'best' pizza you're ever going to have, but it's going to be a memorable pizza,” he said.
For now, Pizza Quest is only offering red sauce pizza with limited toppings. Orders can only be placed online, Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., or until they run out of dough.
You can find the gofundme, which has raised over $38,000, here.