According to the Chicago Tribune, “In the 1970s, Joe Perrino worked the dough, making the foundation for pizzas at Home Run Inn, the restaurant owned by his father, Nick. Back then, Home Run Inn made frozen pizzas, too, but they were a sideline. Nick Perrino’s passion was his pizzeria.”

“But the younger Perrino had bigger dreams, and to him the future was in frozen pies. So when he took charge in 1990, Joe Perrino put his plans into action, taking on the multinational giants of the frozen pizza world. Today, Home Run Inn is the leading frozen pizza brand in the Chicago area. It’s no small feat: Although local food brands often have strong followings, they rarely trump national brands in major categories such as frozen pizza. Family-owned and family-run Home Run Inn has obtained a foothold in a few other markets, too, notably Denver, and it also has snared a national deal with Costco. In addition, the company is about to launch its first non-pizza products for the grocery aisles: frozen pasta dinners and Home Run Inn-branded wine,” the story said.