CYSK: John Gilbreth & Amanda Rainey
Pizza Tree owners John Gilbreth and Amanda Rainey grow their family and business.
How did you two meet?
Amanda: We first met when I was one of the music organizers for True/False, and I booked John’s band, The Onions, to play at the festival. I thought he was pretty cool, but he didn’t check his email very often.
John: A couple years later, when I was getting Pizza Tree off of the ground inside of Mojo’s, there was this girl who was really fun and smiley, and she seemed to really like the pizza we were making. One day we ended up at an after-hours dance party at Sparky’s together.
Tell us about your family.
A: We have a Corgi mix named Banjo, a 2-and-a-half-year-old named Rosemary, and probably a new baby by the time you’re reading this. So basically we are very cute and very tired.
What is unique about your relationship?
A: We’ve never been afraid of commitment. I got our dog Banjo a week before we started dating, and John pretty much immediately agreed to be his dog dad. We got engaged within six months; opened a restaurant together before we got married; and had a baby two days after our first wedding anniversary!
What is the key to a lasting and healthy relationship?
A: We signed a ketubah at our wedding, which is a Jewish marriage contract. It’s kind of like having your vows turned into a piece of art that you sign and hang up in your house to remind yourselves of what is most important. We often throw around the phrase, “It’s in the ketubah!” about silly stuff, and that helps remind us to have a sense of humor, too.
J: Frequently bringing home plenty of pizza.
What is the best quality of your partner?
A: Johnny is truly a people person. He remembers every customer’s name and always knows how to make people feel special.
J: Amanda always sees the bright side and the best in people. She’s also a catalyst for ideas. She is great at cracking a new idea open and letting others run with it.
What is one thing people don’t know about your spouse?
A: John loves to order Domino’s.
J: Amanda gets really excited about fantasy football.
What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to together?
A: Either our first getaway, a 20-hour trip to Hermann, Missouri, or our honeymoon, in Puerto Rico.
J: We always love to go see family in Springfield, Missouri, and sneaking off to the Golden Girl Rum Club, the best bar in Missouri.
What has been your favorite project to work on together?
A: Last spring we were king and queen nominees for the Rainbow House masquerade ball, which means we got to do a lot of fun and creative fundraising through the pizza shop. The ball was NASCAR themed, and we wore racing outfits that I made with the logos from other local businesses that helped sponsor our team. We didn’t win, but we still raised a lot of money!
What does the future hold for the two of you?
We are having our second child in February, and we look forward to enjoying life with two girls. We hope to grow our business with a second location or a new concept in the next few years!
