When Hillside Pizza opened in Hadley in April 2009 in a formerly ugly building transformed by Wright Builders, I remember driving by and thinking that it was a funny spot for a pizza restaurant.

But then I began to hear the buzz. Good pizza. Organic pizza. Healthy pizza? Pizza for the good of mankind? When my neighbor was hired to work there last weekend, I knew it was time to get the kids down there and give it a try.

(www.hillsidepizza.com, 413-585-0003)

Wow, was I impressed. The pizza was the best I’ve had in this area, second only to the pizza I make myself. (I admit I haven’t eaten pizza every place it is available in the Pioneer Valley.) Hillside Pizza is not your typical pizza place.

For example, I had the special pizza of the night which included a sauce called “asiago (cheese) and almond pesto” topped with local butternut squash, fresh sage and red onions. I was initially hesitant to try it because I’m not a huge fan of butternut squash and I wondered how it could be atop a pizza crust without creating soggy mush.

I was glad I took the risk. The pizza was slightly sweet from the squash and red onions, but it was set off by the salty buttery taste of the cheeses. The fresh sage was especially delightful, a subtle taste below the surface. And, nothing was soggy. I have to admit I ate the whole pizza myself, half at the restaurant and half when I got home!

A little background on Hillside Pizza. It started as a fund-raising operation in 2001 in a community kitchen in Greenfield run by the Franklin County Community Development Corp. They made pizzas that were sold by non-profit groups that wanted to raise money.

In 2006, their first restaurant was opened in South Deerfield, followed by the Hadley location on Route 9 in the building that was once an old car garage and onion storage barn. The building was turned into a modern barn style by Wright Builders and also houses Valley Bike and Ski Werks and Energia Yoga & Spin Studio. (Shameless plug for Wright Builders which is responsible for the beautiful addition to my house that my mom lived in.)

The Hadley location space is a bit funky, with a high-ceiling and a huge kitchen that allows the preparation of the “take and bake” pizzas used for fundraising and for personal consumption. Most of the booths have playing cards and little bulletin boards covered with a quirky mix of business cards and brochures on them.

My kids loved that they got to go pick out their own sodas and enjoyed admiring the selection of cupcakes, pumpkin whoopee pies, cookies and other treats in the bakery case.

The pizzas are “build your own style” with different sauces, fresh vegetables and “free-range, chemical-free” meats. You can get slices or a whole pizza. (A 13 inch pizza starts at $9.50 and a 16-inch pizza at $12.50; toppings range from 75 cents to $3 each.)

Hillside also offers gluten-free pizzas and sandwich rolls as well as vegan, dairy-free cheese and meat substitutes.
I also ordered a simple salad ($4.95) that tasted like it had come fresh from a local farmer’s market. The salad included baby greens, peppery arugula, chick peas, purple cabbage, carrot curls and cherry tomatoes. The balsamic vinaigrette was delicious with a slight apple aftertaste.

My daughter, Livvy, 13, ordered a pizza slice with basil pesto sauce with turkey sausage. She immediately signaled her approval. “Oh my God, it’s soooooo good,’’ she said. (Slices are $2.50-$3.00)

Elliot, 15, got pepperoni and feta cheese on his pizza and was a little overwhelmed by the salami-sized pepperoni slices. He ordered two slices that came out separately and rated the first an 8.5 (out of a scale of 10), but gave the second one a 7, saying it was a bit too greasy.

The menu also includes “hot-wichs” which are panini sandwiches ($6.50-$7.50), wraps ($.695-$7.95) and more traditional sandwiches ($7.50).

The food aside, I like the way Hillside Pizza helps non-profit groups raise money. On a chalkboard in the restaurant, it is noted that more than $200,000 has been raised by these groups since 2001. Most recently, the Frontier Regional (High School) after-school program raised $594 and the South Hadley Ski Club raised $580.