When former Minoters return to the Magic City for a high school reunion or just a visit, for many it means a ritualistic stop at Sammy’s Pizza for a kosher salami or maybe a house special.

It’s tradition. A family tradition.

That also happens to be the motto of the family-owned pizza restaurant that opened in Minot in 1959. Back then it was called Sammy’s Pizza Palace. The name may have a different flavor to it but the pizza doesn’t.

The guardians of the Sammy’s recipes are now Angie and Shannon Osborn. In January, they purchased the business from her parents, Dave and Tarryll Shomento. Before that, Sammy’s was owned and operated by Dave’s brother, Bert, who began as a partner with their parents, Albert and Carmel Shomento.

Carmel was a sister of Sam “Sammy” Perrella, who founded Sammy’s Pizza in the mid-1950s in Hibbing, Minn. Including the Minot restaurant, there are still 15 Sammy’s restaurants in business in the Upper Midwest and all are owned by members of the Perrella family.

There have been a lot of changes at Minot’s Sammy’s over the years, beginning with location. Sammy’s was started on the main floor of a building on West Central Avenue, just east of Broadway. Then, following the 1969 flood, Bert moved the restaurant to its present location. Along the way there have been other Sammy’s secondary sites that have since closed, including in the food court at Dakota Square Mall, the Sleep Inn, and there was even a Sammy’s in Bismarck for a time.

All of that history and tradition is not lost on the new owners.

“They want the same thing they had way back then, and we still have it,” Shannon Osborn said of those longtime fans of Sammy’s, both local and ones who have moved away. “And they love that it hasn’t changed,” added Angie.

Angie did not grow up in the pizza business since her father didn’t acquire it until she was in college. But they did discuss then what direction Angie would take after completing her education.

“My dad said you can try the corporate world if you want, but I think you’ll like working for yourself someday better,” she said. “I never went there,” she said of the “corporate world.” And Angie has not regretted her decision.

Both Angie and Shannon have been making pizza, pasta and chicken the Sammy’s way for the past 14 years, and so are used to the hectic restaurant lifestyle. They knew what they were getting into and embraced it.

“You’re on the clock 24-7, but I like making my own decisions,” Angie said. “The best part to me is the customers. And I like being on my feet and being busy all day. My days fly by. I can’t imagine sitting in an office.”

The Osborns have three children and it won’t be long before another one of those career choice discussions becomes appropriate. But they’re still at the “I could see it someday” stage.

Still, Angie and Shannon Osborn are united and clear about one thing already. They are committed to carrying on the “family tradition” of providing memories that do not fade. Simple changes are tried, such as the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday lunch buffets and 5 to 8 p.m. evening buffets every Monday and Wednesday. And they can be found on Facebook these days at Sammy’s Pizza Minot. But the core of the business, the flavors like their marinara sauce, the pizza recipes they’ll never be tampered with, Angie said.

Because, she said…

“We want people to be able to count on it tasting the same, decade after decade.”