A Michelin chef and pizza expert from L.A. just opened his own restaurant in Ontario
The newest pizza restaurant in one Ontario town is the passion project of a renowned Los Angeles-based chef.
Chef Ressul Rassalat might be a new face to Ontario's culinary scene, but he's spent the past several decades building his legacy at renowned institutions around the world.
He's served as a sous chef at L’Orangerie in West Hollywood, worked in the kitchen of two-star Michelin chef Édouard Loubet in France, and at Four Seasons restaurants across the globe, from Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur.
His latest move brings him to a decidedly smaller community, where he's already making a big splash. These days, he's taking on Durham Region with a new pizza shop called Pizzeria Isabella, named after his daughter.
Having served as a judge at the prestigious World Pizza Expo in Las Vegas (where some other local spots have found fame) for the past five years, it's safe to say that Chef Rassalat knows a thing or two about pizza — and he's bringing his expertise to Ajax's Pickering Village with his latest venture.
A joint venture between he and his wife, Asal, who has lived and owned businesses in Ajax for years, the family was already deeply entrenched in the community by the time Pizzeria Isabella soft-launched in March 2025.
"We wanted Chef to be closer to Isabella — restaurant life means long hours, and now we can pop in to see him anytime," Asal tells us. "Plus, why shouldn’t the suburbs have great food? People here deserve quality just as much as anyone in the city."
Indeed, the suburbs do deserve great food, and, at Pizzeria Isabella, they're getting it in the form of Roman-style pizza in teglia, a style of pizza served in single, square slices, with a distinctly airy, crunchy crust.
The crust in question is naturally leavened, fermented for a minimum of 72 hours, and is supremely light and crispy despite its somewhat thick appearance.
As for toppings, Isabella currently boasts nine different pizzas on its menu, including staples like Pepperoni and Meat Lover, as well as more unique options like BBQ Chicken and Dolce Inferno, with Salamina Pepperoni, fresh burrata cheese and hot honey.
A selection of pastas, salads, dips and desserts round out the menu.
Asal says that she and Chef Rassallat initially soft-launched just to the community in March to manage demand while they fine-tuned their processes, but were instantly overwhelmed by the reception.
"We wanted to take our time settling into the space and getting to know our guests," Asal tells us.
"Since our dough takes 72 hours to ferment and everything is made fresh in-house, we weren't expecting the overwhelming demand we saw in the first month—we honestly couldn’t keep up! It's only now that we’re starting to catch our breath. The response has been incredible, and we're so grateful for the support."
You can find Pizzeria Isabella at 34 Church St. S. in Ajax, Ont.
