JUNO BEACH — Tucked inside a gas station at the corner of U.S. 1 and Juno Ocean Walk, Willie Uribe had one rule for his New York-style pizza shop.
"He always would say, 'Don't do it unless you make it with love,' " said Justin Palmer, a longtime friend and business partner.
For nearly a decade, that love turned a gas station next to The Bluffs Square Shopping Center into a popular destination for hungry pizza lovers and garnered national attention following an online review by Dave Portnoy, the president of Barstool Sports.
Uribe died Aug. 7 following a series of health-related complications. He was 64.
Palmer, who recently took over ownership of Willie's Pizza, said Uribe had returned to his native Colombia to recuperate from a medical condition
and spend time with family. Uribe had hoped to return to the pizzeria, but fell ill following surgery and died days later, Palmer said.
"He's going to be sorely missed," he said. "We're going to try to carry it on and honor his name. It's going to take three of us or more to do his job."
Uribe's love for making pizzas can be traced to his youth, Palmer said. Uribe's mother was born in Naples, Italy, and Uribe started his career working at pizzerias in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s.
He moved to South Florida, where he opened a pizzeria in a gas station on Northlake Boulevard before relocating to the Shell gas station where the business currently resides.
Known for his no-nonsense style, Uribe wouldn't hesitate to turn away an impatient customer, directing them to a nearby chain pizza shop. But Uribe was also known for his compassion, at times shutting down the pizzeria to take pizza to a wheelchair-bound customer.
"He knew everyone in town," Palmer said. "When I was learning the business and where he would get his ingredients, we would stop at a diner and he would know everyone, then we'd go to (another place) and he would know everyone. It was really amazing. He had a big personality. "
Palmer described Uribe as a one-man show, a chef who would make more than 100 pizzas on a busy day.
Three years ago, the business was featured in Portnoy's online Barstool Pizza Review series. Speaking to Portnoy, Uribe described his meticulous process, including using water from a special filtration system in his home. Portnoy gave Willie's a high rating, 8.1 out of 10, praising the pizza and Uribe's personality.
Palmer said the review boosted the store's popularity, at times drawing lines that stretched out the doors. Portnoy referenced Uribe's death in recent social-media posts, describing him as an "absolute legend."
"He really put his love into his pizzas, so I think that's what everyone felt," Palmer said. "His personality became that whole space."
Julius Whigham II covers northern Palm Beach County and public safety for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Willie Uribe became 'absolute legend' making pizza at Juno gas station
