By Paula Scott

On December 1 it became official, Chase Mason is the new owner of Padrone's Pizza of Bluffton, 147 N. Main. The 33-year-old single dad has been managing the business since the last week of September and has worked on and off for Padrone’s pizzarias for 15 years.

Mason comes to Bluffton from Defiance but has family here. “It’s definitely a wonderful town,” he said of the village. 

Mason recently added lunch hours on Saturdays and Sundays, opening at 11:00 a.m. He is adding wrap sandwiches to the Bluffton menu, which includes pasta dinners, salads, baked sub sandwiches, snacks including french fries and breaded mushrooms, wings and desserts, as well as pizza. New this week is a cauliflower crust pizza. “You can feed the whole family here,” he commented.

With a $10 minimum, the Bluffton Padrone’s delivers in the village as well as to Beaverdam, Pandora, Mr. Cory and Rawson. The restaurant also does catering.

What does Mason like best on his pizza? A white chicken, bacon, ranch pizza–with house-made ranch dressing. “It’s definitely my go-to.” He noted that the dressing’s popularity in Defiance brought customers in to buy it in 16-oz containers.

“The colder it is, the better it is,” he said when asked if the business was seasonal. He noted that right now with the holidays and activities such as basketball and school concerts, “Nobody has time to cook.”

As a new business owner and father of an almost two-year old, Mason probably doesn’t have much free time himself these days, but he has plenty of special interests. He has directed high school musicals in Defiance, was involved in the community band there and is active in his church in Lima.

For more information about this Bluffton business, call 419-358-0825 or visit www.Facebook.com/padrones12bluffton