SAUGUS — When Nickolas Touloumzis called Prince Pizza, a place he had grown up going to weekly since it opened its doors in 1961, he wasn’t expecting an act of kindness during an extremely tumultuous time in his life.
Touloumzis grew up in Lynnfield and remembered the days when he and his family would walk into Prince Pizza and be greeted by Arthur Castraberti, the father of current owner Steve Castraberti.
“We considered the Castrabertis’ friends. This wasn’t just some restaurant that we went to. Any time we went, Arthur and Stephen’s grandfather would come out and greet my grandmother and my family when we were waiting for our pizzas to be delivered,” he said.
Now, Touloumzis lives in Salisbury and said he was currently in bad health and on the brink of homelessness. During a time of uncertainty in his life, he called Prince Pizza, realizing what he wanted was a taste of home.
“I am in very poor health. And because of that, I haven’t been able to get to the restaurant for the pizza that I loved for 50 years. … And I wasn’t really looking for something for free. I’m in turmoil, and I was just looking for something that I loved all my life,” he said.
The manager who answered the call took down Touloumzis’s information, taking the phone call seriously.
Touloumzis said that two staff members showed up at his door with two pizzas for him free of charge, making the trip from Saugus to Salisbury.
“It seems like a simple thing, but it was such an act of kindness that I will never forget,” he said.
Touloumzis said that he had worked in the food service industry for a long time, noting experience at The Kernwood that was once in Lynnfield, Legal Sea Food, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and Jimmy’s Steer House.
“I understand the restaurant business is a very difficult business. And it’s unforgiving. And the Castrabertis have been there since 1961 because of their kindness that they show to their employees and the generosity that they’ve showed to the local community,” he said.
Touloumzis said that family and friends have not been in contact with him, noting that he hadn’t done anything to cause the disconnect and that this moment of kindness from Prince deeply moved him.
“For them to do what they did for me, it’s unimaginable. What they did … most companies and restaurants wouldn’t give a damn about somebody like me. … That place is an institution, and there’s not many people that would extend this type of kindness today to somebody that is troubled. And this is just a place I love and respect,” he said.
When asked about the phone call the restaurant received and the actions they took, Castraberti said that this was what Prince Pizza stood for and gave full credit to the staff who made the delivery to Touloumzis.
