Cheston Broomell has been part of the Brunswick community for twenty years, building Broomelli Boys Pizzeria into a neighborhood favorite. His story includes a family business, a few unexpected twists and turns, and a whole lot of pizza, but at the heart of it is a genuine connection to the people around him.
It all started with the Calzone
Cheston Broomell didn’t set out to become a pizza man. He grew up in Fernandina Beach, Florida, working his way in and out of college, when a calzone from a local pizzeria steered his path. He liked it so much he took a job there just to keep eating them, and the owner eventually told him if he wanted more, he’d have to learn to make them himself. He did, and pizza-making became something he genuinely loved. He worked his way up to managing the restaurant and helped open a second location before life pointed him toward Brunswick.
From Photography to Pizza
Cheston’s path to Brunswick came by way of his parents. His mother, a longtime government employee, was pulled into an expanding Homeland Security operation at FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Center) in Brunswick after 9/11.
His father had spent decades as a commercial photographer, often with Cheston helping out in the darkroom or out on shoots. But after the family’s earlier move from the Washington D.C. area to Florida, his dad wasn’t eager to rebuild a photography business from scratch again. He was ready for something new, and he realized his son wanted a restaurant of his own one day. So a father and son who already worked well together, and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, decided to open a pizzeria together.
They were down to the wire ordering their sign and still didn’t have a name. Cheston’s mom suggested adding an “i” to Broomell, but that left them without an answer to the question: Broommelli what? Then she said, “You’re the boys. The Broomelli Boys.” Laughing the whole time they knew this was it. Broomelli Boys Pizzeria had a name and a home.
Learning the Business, Learning Each Other
Cheston describes himself as a shy kid growing up, and credits his father, a natural people-person known around Fernandina Beach as “the mayor,” for teaching him how to connect with his customers. Working side by side for years, first in photography and later in pizza, gave father and son more than a business. It gave them a closer relationship built on genuine friendship.
Weathering the Storms
Twenty years in the restaurant business is no small accomplishment, and Cheston’s quick to say he didn’t do it alone. The menu grew over the years, from pizza, calzones, and breadsticks to subs, baked spaghetti, and wings, along with a carefully chosen beer and wine list. But 2020 nearly ended it all. Cheston still remembers the uncertainty of those days, and credits the restaurant’s survival to something simple: keeping good people. Broomelli Boys has held onto staff for years, and Cheston says many who’ve left to start their own careers still come back when they can.
More Than a Restaurant
For Cheston, the restaurant has always been about more than pizza. It’s been his way into the community, through sponsorships, partnerships with local nonprofits, and simple, but solid friendships with his customers. He even met his wife through a community nonprofit connection of his own.
These days, his two daughters are growing up around the restaurant, spending enough time there that the whole team knows them well. Whether either of them takes up the family business someday, Cheston isn’t sure. But after twenty years built on family, community, and consistency, he’s not in a hurry to slow down.
