CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – After becoming an online sensation and ultimately being shut down, local pizzamaker Andrew Dueñas has found a brick-and-mortar home for his restaurant.

The physical location, at 1021 Highway 76 near Exit 11, will be named Camacho’s Famous, after Dueñas’ father.

Dueñas grew up in California, where his father, a Chicago native, owned and operated a family pizza shop. That business closed in 2008. After leaving the Army in 2017, Dueñas decided to revive the family business in his own kitchen.

Pizzas made by Andrew Duenas. (Contributed: Brittney Conner)

 

Pizza lottery

Dueñas started selling pizzas from his home in 2020 as a way of making some extra money, taking about 60 orders (150 pizzas) a week through the Clarksville and Surrounding Areas Food Scene Facebook group on a first-come, first-served basis.

The “pizza lottery,” as this system came to be known, was a big hit, with Dueñas regularly selling out in under a minute.

“It’s like belonging to a secret club that so many wish to be in,” said Donna Jo Bolton, one of Dueñas’ happy customers. “When it’s your turn and you finally get to experience Andrew’s pizza, you understand finally that the hype is real and the effort to get the pizza is so worth it.”

Dueñas credits much of his success to the Facebook food community who embraced him and his business.

Andrew Dueñas (left) stands with his wife, Marie Nino (right). (Contributor: Donna Bolton)

But in June, Dueñas received word from Montgomery County Health Department officials that he would have to stop selling pizza from his home – there are rules against doing that with no license, no health inspections and no certified kitchen. He told members of the group he would be taking a break but that he would soon be back with his own restaurant.

Welcome to Camacho’s Famous

True to his word, Dueñas announced on Facebook recently that Camacho’s Famous has found a home.

He hopes to have the new Chicago-style restaurant open in early October, and he’s been hard at work on the menu. Dueñas told Clarksville Now the menu will include Italian beef sandwiches, Italian sausages, local beer and, of course, the pizza that made him an online sensation. He said there would be some surprise additions as well.

He plans to hold a soft opening event as a thank you to members of the Clarksville and Surrounding Areas group.

“They’ve done so much for me. I think they should be invited to the opening for sure,” Dueñas said.

Dueñas will continue to update fans on Camacho’s on his Facebook Page.