Pioneer Restaurant demolished to make way for new building

WARWICK — A well-known landmark since the 1960s, the original Pioneer Restaurant building at 49 Oakland Ave., was demolished on Monday, October 24, to make way for the restaurant's new home on the same location.
The Pioneer will soon re-open.
Owners Paul and Cheryl Karas first opened their new and popular eatery on Feb. 17, 2005.
The original Pioneer Restaurant was built by Alex Demtroules and in the 1970s and 1980s it was run by Charlie and Michele Carter.
When Paul and Cheryl Karas purchased their new restaurant it was called Walsh's Restaurant and had been owned and managed by Christopher and Susan Walsh for the previous two years.
But when Christopher and Susan purchased it from Tracy Ciliberti, it had been named and known as The Pioneer for about 40 years.
By the way, Ciliberti, who had worked there since she was 15, purchased the restaurant when she was only 19 years old.
As longtime Warwick residents, Paul and Cheryl Karas could also remember the days when they and their classmates at Warwick Valley High School would drop by at the Pioneer for a hamburger or an ice cream. So they decided to rename their new restaurant once again as, "The Pioneer."
In 2005 Paul Karas had been a professional chef for more than 30 years. Today The Pioneer is widely acclaimed on various Websites as one of the best restaurants in Warwick.
The demolition to make room for a modern and larger building is a measure of its success.
- Roger Gavan