V Pizza opens in Lake Buena Vista

Trenton Postell is leading the team at the first V Pizza location in Orlando with his passion for serving others.  

Postell, 41, is the franchise owner at the new Lake Buena Vista location, which opened earlier this month. The new location joins others in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

The 4,300-square-foot restaurant seats about 160 diners and includes a dedicated bar and patio space.

V Pizza is an authentic, Italian pizzeria brand known for serving artisan meals, including pizza, wings, pasta and craft cocktails.

Customers can expect pizza sauce made from hand-churned San Marzano tomatoes, dough made from highly refined Italian wheat flour, and toppings such as real bufala mozzarella and prosciutto di parma.

In addition, the food is cooked in Italian, clay brick ovens that heat to 900 degrees.

Paul Scott, owner of V Pizza, said the Lake Buena Vista location was chosen because he knows the people in the area love good food.

“Orlando’s food IQ is one of the highest in the nation,” Scott said. “The locals here are well-traveled, understand food quality and appreciate authenticity, just like we do. It’s a natural fit. ... Regardless of the cost or difficulty of sourcing items, we’ll get the best items in the world for our Neapolitan pizza, wings and cocktails. That’s what makes us unapologetically authentic.”

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT 

Postell, originally from Daytona Beach, has owned and run small business franchises for more than a decade.

He attended the University of Florida, where he played football and met his wife, Starr.

The couple moved in 2007 to Jacksonville, where they lived for 15 years.

Postell worked in the financial industry — for Scott at a mortgage company.

In 2014, Postell left the company to start his first business in child care called Impact Learning Center. The center now has four locations in Jacksonville.

V Pizza and ILC opened in 2014 in San Marco.

Postell said V Pizza has always held a special place in his heart.

His child care center was the first organization to partner with the restaurant’s nonprofit, V for Victory, which supports local families going through cancer treatments. ILC hosted an art auction, and $1,700 was raised for the nonprofit.

The nonprofit started when Scott’s son, Charlie, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 3 years old.

V for Victory allows diners to add donations to their checks for the nonprofit. All customer donations go toward providing meals and every day services for local families battling cancer. 

“We watched him go through that, and we went through it with him; it was devastating,” Postell said. “Even though he had the means to take care of his son, out of that experience, he didn’t just think about himself and getting his son better. He saw all of the families that struggled that didn’t have the opportunities and means that he had to take care of his son.”

HEART TO SERVE

In 2019, Postell said God called the family to move to Orlando. The family originally lived in Winter Garden before buying a house in Windermere.

Although the couple had a dream of starting more child care centers, Postell said he had a chance to open other businesses.

He refers to himself as a jack-of-all-trades entrepreneur. 

“I love people,” he said. “People are what I do. I love serving people. I love helping people make their dreams come true or even find their purpose. As a business owner and entrepreneur, you have the opportunity to really be around people all the time.”

Postell said he learned his love and care for others from his mother.

“She’d give the shirt off her back for anyone,” he said. “I got the chance to watch her live her life in service to people. She was always the servant of our family, her work, her church. I got to see that example.”

When Postell came to Orlando, Scott asked him to start the first Orlando location of V Pizza.

Postell said because of his belief in Scott and his family, as well as his passion for the business, its food and authenticity, it was an easy decision. 

“Paul and the team at V Pizza have always been like family to me,” Postell said. “We really are a family, and that’s why family service is one of our top priorities. … I’m excited to open this restaurant to lead something I feel has purpose while providing a high-quality product.”

At the first meeting Postell held at V Pizza, the first thing he told the employees is they will be servants for the community. 

“We serve each other, and we’re going to serve our customers,” he said. “At the root of hospitality is service and generosity. You can have amazing food, amazing products but if it doesn’t come with a servant’s heart, it doesn’t really matter.” 

Last month alone, V Pizza provided 2,109 meals with a retail value of $39,874 to V for Victory families dining across their 10 locations.

COMING SOON

V Pizza will be run with the help of Tyler Parker, general manager, and Zachary Cummings, assistant general manager and bar manager.

While Postell takes on his new business venture, his wife will serve as COO and executive director at the child care center.

Postell is honored and privileged to bring the first franchise location to Orlando.

“We want our V Pizza family to grow, but we also want locals to bring their families and their kids and create memories here,” he said. “Food brings people together.”

Postell and his wife have two children: Tianna, 16; and Treven, 19. The family also took in two nephews and one niece when they moved to Orlando: Joseph, 16; Jasmine, 20; and Joshua, 22. 

All of the children have worked at one of the family’s businesses throughout the years.

When he is not working, Postell enjoys watching football, spending time with his family and fishing on the Butler Chain of Lakes. He and his wife participate in the Facebook group “50 First Dates,” through which they enjoy 50 new first dates every year.