Our Story

Pizza of Venice (POV) is a tribute to the dynamic culture of Venice Beach during its heyday, where artistic creativity and boardwalk hustle culture flourished. Founded by friends Chef Sean St. John, raised in Barbados and Chef Jamie Woolner, a Los Angeles native with roots in New Orleans, POV is a blend of diverse influences and shared passion.

Their journey from Venice teens to restaurateurs is fueled by their friendship and a commitment to culinary excellence. At POV, they take pride in crafting homemade ingredients, including their signature 100-day aged pepperoni. From oak smoked mozzarella, to hand squeezed limeade, every step is a labor of love, reflecting their respect for the craft and dedication to delivering exceptional flavors.

The Founders

Sean St. John

I grew up where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean on the tiny island of Barbados. The taste of sea water and the smell of African spices on the trails of the Saharan dust storms filled my senses as a child. Sweet Bajan golden apples, guavas, mangoes, giant breadfruits (don't sit under the tree), cherries and sour dunks shared with the occasional visiting monkey, were growing outside my childhood room. I lived on an old forte property with cannons and secrets, where my great grandfather planted the same trees I climbed. Almost all of my earliest memories include food and the ocean, either growing the food or catching and cooking fish.

Jamie Woolner

With family roots running from one side of the US to the other, Chef Jamie Woolner elevates humble foods and makes the unapproachable world of fine dining quality seem familiar. Influenced by his family’s New Orleans heritage, and the melting pot of Los Angeles, he infuses laidback southern style and Los Angeles melting pot fusion into each one of his dishes. Rice balls from a Japanese babysitter, enchilada lessons from a Mexican house cleaner, a pot of gumbo from his dad Roy: these are the experiences that shaped Chef Jamie’s imaginatively authentic culinary experimentations.