Signature Dishes: Pepperoni rolls at CoCo Coffeehouse in Leechburg

This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com

A Leechburg business owner is on a roll with an Italian-inspired signature dish.

Nikki Saxion, proprietor of CoCo Coffeehouse on Market Street, regularly bakes pepperoni rolls. The hot and fresh items sell out within hours, as word spreads.

When the flour starts flying in the kitchen at CoCo, goodness is sure to manifest in about two hours, the typical time it takes Saxion to make and bake a batch. She makes them about twice a month.

Saxion, 40, is an Apollo native with Italian heritage. She said the simplicity of the rolls prove that sometimes fancy doesn’t trump traditional, old-school recipes.

“They’re simple but good,” she said. “We sell them at my drive-thru coffee hut location too. They’re quick and easy to eat on-the-go.”

Rolling the dough by hand and stuffing each roll with Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and adding generous portions of pepperoni, each roll receives a hearty sprinkling of basil and garlic.

“I normally make about 30-40 each time and I’ve been making them the same way since I opened about a decade ago,” Saxion said.

Customers typically hear about pepperoni roll days on the CoCo Coffeehouse Facebook page and usually pre-order quickly. June 4 is the next scheduled day.

Saxion sells each roll for $8.

She said the rolls freeze well and many customers buy them for that purpose — to thaw out at a future date and heat and eat.

CoCo sells more than 14 coffee varieties and has a full breakfast and lunch menu. Saxion places an emphasis on fresh, made-to-order sandwiches, soups, desserts, flatbreads, paninis and salads, and offers a number of vegetarian options.

The cafe, which opened in 2011, is housed in a historic building. Saxion offers catering options that include the in-demand pepperoni rolls.

“My customers always say ‘make them again’ when the pepperoni rolls sell out,” Saxion said.

CoCo Coffeehouse (163 Market St., Leechburg) is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 724- 842-0255.