Neighborhood Spotlight: Say Hello To... Wait, Which Drogalis Brother Is This?
Is there anyone in Ridgefield who doesn't recognize our new Neighbor Spotlight star? You might recognize his face but his name? Do you get confused when you walk into Planet Pizza and you see 3 very similar looking guys behind the counter and you're worried you will get their names wrong? That's the game we call "Which Drogalis brother was that?"
Friends and I used to text each other and ask each other which one is which... LOL Say hello to MIKE DROGALIS!
When we decided to do feature stories on members of our group, I knew Mike was going to be one of the very first ones because I knew he truly lives by our motto of #localhelpinglocal. With these stories I was hoping to connect you to your Hello Ridgefield neighbors by more than what they do for a living; but I realized for Mike, what he does is very much tied to who he is. Planet Pizza is very much a part of who he is.
Why?
It's because of how Planet Pizza Ridgefield's owner, Domenick creates and fosters such a community-minded environment, how they are always giving to local charities and organizations, how when you walk in, you feel good about being in there. They know you, they know your order and isn't that one of the perks of living in a small town? And I think it's a fair assessment to say Mike is a goodwill ambassador dishing out happiness in the form of pizza pies. I honestly can't think of a nicer guy than Mike and when I think of all the great things about living in a small town, Mike seems to be the living embodiment of it all.
Giving back to his community is something he has always spoken about, his love of Ridgefield is always showing. Chances are when you walk in, he knows your name and your order already. I asked a friend what he thinks of Mike and he told me when his daughter goes to Planet Pizza with friends (like most Ridgefield kids do), that Mike knows her order and treats her like she is the Queen of PP and she loves that feeling. That's small town charm and Mike serves it up with every slice of pie he slides across the counter.
I think I am pretty 'on the money' when I say that Mike loves what he does and his community loves him back.
Some things you might not know:
Did you know Mike works with 2 of his brothers at Planet Pizza?
Did you know Mike plays the guitar?
Did you know Mike is a rising Twitch star?
Did you know Mike likes country line dancing?....didn't see that one coming, did ya?
When I asked his brothers and Dom to tell me any stories about Mike that I could share, I walked away with funny stories but as I listened to them, I learned much more - how much they love this guy and how much he truly means to them. Maybe they didn't mean for that to slip out but Mike is deeply loved by his brothers and by his work family! How many of us can say that?
So next time you walk in to Planet Pizza, take a look across that counter and if you're lucky, this guy will be the one helping you!
You can find Mike most days at Planet Pizza on Main Street Ridgefield.
If he isn't there, look at his Twitch account - https://www.twitch.tv/mikedrotv
~The Hello Ridgefield Team
The magic of a Facebook group like Hello Ridgefield & Fairfield County is that it helps you develop closer ties to your community and we love being the group that does that!
We thank you for taking the time to read our neighborhood stories! Stay tuned for more...
Thank you to Claudia Pacifico Photography for these amazing pictures! Reach out to her for photography that you will fall in love with. Here's some of the work she did for the Hello Ridgefield team:
If you want to recommend someone to be featured in our Neighborhood Spotlight Series, email us at hello@helloridgefield.com.