Story by Alexandra Mortati | Photos courtesy of Nina Pizza Napolitaine
This article is part of PMQ Pizza’s “12 Women to Watch“ series, in partnership with Women in Pizza and in celebration of Women’s Pizza Month. It’s an expanded version of the profile on Pénélope Lachapelle and Lucie Nadeau featured in PMQ’s March 2026 issue.
Pénélope Lachapelle and Lucie Nadeau started Nina Pizza Napolitaine, located in Quebec City, Quebec, in 2014, inspired by Lachapelle’s pizza epiphany during a previous trip to New York City. After visiting Roberto Caporuscio’s pizzeria, Kesté Pizza & Vino, on Bleecker Street, she found herself returning again and again. “I didn’t know at the time that he trained people, so when my mom and her husband were in New York, they asked, and a manager said Roberto has a school,” Lachapelle recalls. “Lucie and I went and trained with him, and he’s like our maestro, our dad. Every time we go to New York, we visit him. We have a special bond.”
The trip to New York also cemented Lachapelle and Nadeau’s special bond. Initially, Lachapelle had asked Nadeau, her co-worker at a restaurant in Québec City, to join this project with her, but they weren’t yet friends. Lachapelle saw it as a quest that they were embarking on together—and they ended up emerging as trendsetters and inseparable pals. “We had breakfast, lunch and dinner together,” Lachapelle says. “We met and trained with Roberto. We wanted to make a big commitment to make Neapolitan pizza authentically. We were the first to bring it to the city, and now everyone has a little oven and there’s a franchise of Neapolitan pizza here. It was crazy when we first opened, because people were waiting for us. There were lines the first summer—and you never see lines in Québec.”
The partners couldn’t have predicted such high demand for their pizza. Hoping to sell 60 pizzas per day to break even, they ended up cranking out 90 for lunch alone, then 200 to 250 for dinner, every day—with a mere 50 seats in a small space. “Lucie and I didn’t know what we were getting into,” Lachapelle says. “We would do four to five seatings each Friday.”
“And nobody knew how to do Neapolitan pizza,” Nadeau adds, “so Penelope and I had to train everyone.”
An Unbreakable Bond
Raising capital was another hurdle to opening their doors, but they tapped into crowdfunding. “It was a good way to get the community to care about us, and Lucie and I got the amount we were looking for in less than 24 hours,” Lachapelle says. “I was living in the neighborhood, so I knew all the restaurant owners and people who helped. I studied communication, so I knew people who worked for magazines and networked. I originally made a vow not to pay for any ads, but now that’s changed. Our plan was just to use Facebook and Instagram, and it was all free at that time.”
As women in pizza, the pair naturally attracted media attention. “Restaurants are all boys’ clubs, so it was pretty singular that two women like Lucie and I would open one,” Lachapelle says. “A few others have opened them, but it’s not the norm. Women owners like us, with two pizzerias, are pretty rare.”
However, when the duo decided to open a second location, Nina Saint-Jean-Baptiste, they knew they didn’t want to operate it alone, and they’d noticed three female employees who showed promise. The partners offered them the opportunity, though they remain hands-on in helping. “Opening another location and bringing in outside partners isn’t easy,” Nadeau says. “They do the day to day, but Pénélope and I are together with them for all rest.”
Meanwhile, the pair continues to forge an unbreakable bond over the trials of business ownership. “Lucie and I are something special—we go on vacation together,” Lachapelle says. “We really are a fit. We have intense moments—”
“Like, we slept in the same small bed when we trained with Roberto!” Nadeau chimes in.
“So we got to know each other through this process,” Lachapelle continues. “Now I always say to my [romantic] partner, ‘Lucie is the most important person in my life—sorry!’ I’m more into communication because of my background, but we’re so complementary. She’s better at the oven, and I’m better at stretching. We never really argue about anything, because we’re always on the same page. Each of us has skills and ideas, so we can develop anything.”
“And,” Nadeau adds, “we never question the parts the other knows.”
‘Our Little World’
While growing and learning together over the last decade-plus, they built the company to 30 employees and now own both of their two locations’ buildings. They also don’t just manage a business—they manage people. “People are a huge part of business and take the most time,” Lachapelle says. “Managing people is the most difficult part, because you have to consider all of their differences. At the beginning, I was really straightforward, but now I am more calm.”
“For Pénélope and me, running this business is like a family,” Nadeau adds. “It’s our place—our little world.”
Working with local producers and farmers, Nina Pizza keeps it fresh. Popular pizzas include a specialty pie with peas, pancetta and lemon; an homage to Brooklyn, New York-based Paulie Gee’s called the Greenpoint; and the Salsiccia, with broccoli rabe, spicy honey and sheep’s cheese. The menu draws customers with a well-edited selection of finely honed favorites—limited to pizza, salads, a few antipasti and homemade desserts.
From the beginning, the partners wanted Nina to become a local institution, lifting up the community by giving opportunities to female employees, masterminding collabs for special pizzas, and even starting a movement called United Against Intolerance. “Lucie and I wanted to create a safe space here,” Lachapelle explains. “I saw little posters for it when I was in San Francisco and saw a rise of intolerance in Québec City, so we distributed posters to business owners. We wanted to make a statement.”
Ultimately, the pair’s advice for successful pizza ownership is simple: Just do it. “If you think too much and ask yourself too many questions, you won’t do it,” Nadeau says. “We didn’t have anything [when we started]. Pénélope and I quit our jobs and put all of our money into it.”
“There was no turning back,” Lachapelle says. “We were too committed. I’m proud but also grateful, because it takes a lot of people. We knew that people were doubting us, but because we had each other, we could overcome the doubt.”
Alexandra Mortati is the marketing director for Orlando Foods and founder of Women In Pizza, a not-for-profit organization that empowers women in the pizza industry to share their stories, display their talents, inspire innovations, and connect with one another and the world. The article has been edited from the original version that appeared on the Instagram account for Women In Pizza. Click here to learn more about the organization.
