Mark Drozek got his first taste of the pizza business while in high school in 1978.

“My very first job was working for Village Pizza of Carpentersville as a dough roller,” the McHenry resident said.

Since then, Drozek’s career in the industry has spanned 30 years.

Drozek is the owner and founder of EastSide Joey’s Pizza, which opened Aug. 11 in the former Generoso Pizza, 1006 E. Algonquin Road, in the Fountain Square Plaza.

Drozek, who grew up in the area, said EastSide Joey’s Pizza specializes in thin crust, traditional double-decker and deep-dish pizzas. Other menu items will include pasta, salads, sandwiches, wings, ribs and chicken.

But as far as Drozek's favorite pizza?

"Deep-dish sausage," he said.

Drozek, who previously owned Little Joey's Pizza in Algonquin, said he and his investors are excited about the venture.

“We’re looking to grow business and hopefully open up a couple of locations once we find out how things go with this particular store,” he said. “I’m confident things will go extremely well.”

Drozek said he has garnered quite a following in the area due to his involvement with the community, including his support of many local sports programs, churches, schools and local businesses.

“This restaurant is not for me, it’s for them,” he said. “I sincerely mean that. And this area really wants something on the East Side they can patronize again that has a different menu.”

Drozek said he plans on differentiating himself from Algonquin's other numerous pizza places by using quality ingredients from Chicago and providing great service.

Russ Farnum, Algonquin's community development director, said officials are happy about the new businesses coming into the village.

“We’re refilling a lot of vacancies, which is great,” he said.

For more information about EastSide Joey’s Pizza, visit its Facebook page.