After its appearance on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” Stone Sisters Pizza Bar became a staple of OKC’s Uptown District for many years. But in 2022, sisters Sheli, Traci and Tami stepped away from the restaurant industry to focus on perfecting their superior pizza product. We caught up with Sheli Stone Stenseth to learn more about the Stone Sisters today.
Tell me about the present-day Stone Sisters business.
Sheli: We are operating both Stone Sisters Manufacturing and Stone Sisters Organics. The manufacturing company works with the restaurant food distributor Sysco and we have accounts throughout the state that purchase products. Stone Sisters Organics is responsible for getting Happie Pizza, our signature sprouted spelt crust pizza, to retail locations. Happie Crust and Pizza is produced by our manufacturing company, so both businesses are very interconnected.
How did you create the sprouted spelt crust pizza?
Sheli: My sister Tami and I hosted a party where we made healthy options of meals that are traditionally not very healthy. I had just been certified in traditional nutrition and was learning about my own gluten intolerance, and wanted to try to make a sprouted spelt crust. Tami made an organic healthy sauce to go with it and everyone loved it. Our business started by making sprouted spelt dough balls and sauce to sell, but we eventually moved into producing our frozen pizza.
What exactly is sprouted spelt?
Sheli: Oh, let me give you my spelt spiel! Spelt is an ancient grain. To sprout a grain, you soak it for eight hours in warm water. This opens the grain, making it a lot easier to digest and for your body to absorb all the good nutrients, more so than white or wheat flour. Sprouted spelt is not gluten-free, but the gluten is more easily digestible. Plus, it tastes great! We have the only organic sprouted spelt pizza crust on the market.
Where can people find your product?
Sheli: We are in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City Whole Foods, most Crest Foods, Uptown Grocery and Pruett’s, and have online ordering available. We sell our frozen cheese pizza and a two-pack of frozen sprouted spelt pizza crust, which allows people with dietary preferences to make their own pizza. But there are so many other ways you can use it.
How else would you use a pizza crust?
Sheli: It is a bread alternative. Personally, I like to cut it in half, fill it with just about anything, and then fold it over to make a panini. The possibilities are endless, and our website has lots of recipes for people to try out.
What is next on the horizon?
Sheli: Stone Sisters Manufacturing received a federal grant which will allow us to purchase larger freezers and a dough divider, so we can increase the amount of product we can make for our Sysco accounts and hopefully allow us to take on more. We are also a co-packing manufacturer, and we would love to help more local dough and pizza companies with their food ventures.
What makes the Stone Sisters brand stand out?
Sheli: We are an Oklahoma-certified female-owned company and we are all over the age of 55. Some people think that growing older means retiring and slowing down, but the key to longevity is eating healthy and staying active with your mind and body. I really don’t know that I will ever retire, because my job is so rewarding and I really believe in our product.
