A new restaurant serving wood-fired pizzas and Chicken George opened Monday in Sterling and owner Matt Prescott says he’s “never had one go so smooth.”

Artisan Oven, at 3203 E. Lincolnway, is the latest business venture for Prescott, who also owns the Candlelight Inn restaurants in Rock Falls, Lanark and Clinton, Iowa. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Prescott told Shaw Local.

“I’m probably more excited about this one than I’ve been about anything I’ve opened in the last 10 years,” Prescott said. “I think we’ve got an amazing team. We think we’re gonna have a great operation and [we’re] looking to bring something to the town that hasn’t been here before.”

While Artisan Oven does serve Chicken George, the local favorite that Prescott’s other restaurants are known for, its main dish is pizza. The menu also features a variety of appetizers, salads and desserts.

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Cory Canas pulls a pizza out of the brick oven Thursday, March 19, 2026, at Artisan Oven in Sterling. (Alex T. Paschal)

Prescott said he chose pizza because “that’s how we eat nowadays. When was the last time you went out on a Tuesday night and ordered a steak?”

Its specialty pizzas include a spicy Italian-style called “sweet and savory”, which Prescott said was his favorite, and Chicken George that the menu describes as “a hometown favorite reimagined for the fire” and on Thursday, Prescott said, were “selling like hot cakes.”

“Everything’s made fresh on hand,” Prescott said.

The pizzas are cooked in a 5,500-pound wood-fired oven that’s a focal point in the corner of the restaurant’s bar area.

“It’s pretty awesome to be honest with you,” Prescott said.

To get Artisan Oven open, Prescott said, they hired 40 people. Adding that to Prescott’s other restaurants makes a total of 375 employees.

“That’s a lot of people,” Prescott said, adding, “We’ve been really pleased with the people that we were able to hire because the labor market’s been tough for many years.”

For information, visit eatartisanoven.com.