If you have lived in Timberville for any length of time, you know or have heard of Schubert Etchebarne. You might have seen him around town, with his faithful canine companions waiting for him in his pickup, or have gone to his restaurant, Roman’s Pizza, a mainstay in Timberville for over 40 years.
Schubert and his wife, Norma, emigrated to the US from Uruguay, moving to this area in 1983, opening the restaurant in 1987. In his country, there is a heavy Italian influence, so Schubert knew pizza. He worked at a restaurant, then later branched off to open Roman’s with his brothers.
Time marches on, and age and health concerns made Schubert think about retiring. By this time, his daughter, Claudia was grown, having met her husband, Carlos Hernandez, in 2005, while working at the restaurant. Carlos knew the business, having worked at Roman’s for many years. When the opportunity arose, he and Claudia decided to take over the restaurant from her parents. Her mother, Norma, helps with their children and comes in to do the bookkeeping, and assist Carlos with the paperwork.
Claudia is an Academic Dean at Blue Ridge Community College. She drops in to help when she can. Having two children, an 8 year old boy and 6 year old girl, with all their after school activities, keeps her very busy!
When asked if he thought owning the business was all he thought it would be, Carlos acknowledged it is a bit harder, because it’s a lot of responsibility, but it is what he expected. He says, “Even though I come here every day, sometimes on my day off, I’m not tired, because I like what I do!”
It was a relatively seamless transition when Carlos took over, the restaurant has basically the same staff, with some new additions.
He tries to keep everything the same, because he knows what the customers like and what they have become used to, having come to the restaurant for years. There are little changes Carlos would like to make, over time, and things he will put on the menu, adding his personal touches.
Schubert will still drop in from time to time, when he is not busy farming (his retirement gig), and offer opinions, like you need to add something to the sauce!
Roman’s was known for its pizza, and when Carlos took over, one of the new things was deciding to make personal sized pizzas, vegetarian and regular. Gluten free may be a possibility in the future.
Claudia said, “This is a close-knit community, Mom and Dad are well loved here. Any changes we make will be tiny and gradual. We have seen a lot of families grow up here over the years, coming to the restaurant. It’s interesting how my parents emigrated here, and this became their home.”
There are a very few long-time family-owned businesses/restaurants still open and family run. Labor is one issue businesses deal with, very necessary to keep it up and running smoothly. Roman’s is one of several family run businesses in Timberville still in operation. Carlos plans to keep the legacy going. He wants people to know he is very grateful for the support of the community, and Roman’s faithful customers who stand behind him and Claudia.
One of Carlos’ new additions to the menu is the coffee. “My family has coffee farms in El Salvador, where I am from. We are now doing a direct trade, bringing containers of coffee, and we are selling to coffee roasters and shops. Now, we have it here at Roman’s and it is what we serve. It is called Santa Isabel coffee.”
According to the website, “the coffee comes from several ranches covering roughly 210 acres in the Cacahuatique Mountains, El Salvador.” It has been family run for 4 generations. In the future, Carlos would like to offer some specialized coffee drinks, like cappuccino and espresso.
The coffee is roasted in Staunton. The bags of coffee are sold at the restaurant, and presently in 10 different locations including Orchard Roots Café at Showalter’s, Polyface Farms in Swoope, Chestnut Ridge Coffee in Harrisonburg, A Bowl of Good in Harrisonburg. Check the website for a full history of the coffee and all area locations it is available.
The couple have many ideas, so stay tuned! Their menu includes all the old favorites. Make a point to drop in, if you have never been! Carlos and Claudia are grateful for your patronage. Roman’s is here to stay!
Roman’s Pizza 42 North Food Lion Plaza, Timberville, VA 22853
540.896.6716
Open Tues- Saturday 11am-9pm, Sunday 11am-4pm Closed Mondays
