Tag: Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

Pyro’s Expands Its Brand.

Chad Foreman and Kirk Cotham met while in grad school. They worked together at FedEx and later at Accredo Health Group. Foreman was in accounting, while Cotham worked in marketing. After being offered a buy-out from Accredo, they had to figure out what to do next. They wanted something practical, something that is used everyday. One of the things they considered was woodworking, specifically cabinetry. But then they settled — against the many warnings from their friends and family — on the restaurant industry.

One thing they liked about getting in the restaurant game was that, in Memphis, when it comes to restaurants, the little guy almost always beats the big guy. That is, nobody’s messing with KFC when we’ve got Gus’s. Why have Pizza Hut when Memphis Pizza Cafe is so much better?

They knew they wanted fast casual and they wanted multiple locations to make it work. As Cotham remembers it, “We were bringing something new to Memphis.”

The first Pyro’s, a build-your-own pizza restaurant, opened in East Memphis in 2013. There are now four locations in Memphis, with one in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, opening soon.

And now they’ve expanded beyond pizza with Wolf River Brisket and Levee Creamery and Highland Creamery (coming soon).

How the newest concepts came about … Well, Cotham and Foreman are both opportunists. Though that word makes them cringe, they admit it’s true. So, there was a TCBY near Foreman’s home. It was neither good nor bad, he says. “It was not an enjoyable experience,” he says. Then he heard that the TCBY was looking to sell. Foreman had always felt like a coffee place would work there — an alternative to Starbucks (the little guy always beats the big guy, remember). They noticed how close schools were to the location. They had a vision of moms dropping off their kids and picking up coffee, people meeting up, after-dinner treats for the kids. There, they opened Levee Creamery.

It was a case of the real estate dictating the direction of the restaurant. And that is certainly true for the two Wolf River Brisket locations. A space opened in the same shopping center as Levee Creamery. For the second location, they found a spot in an old Mellow Mushroom in Olive Branch.

One thing that’s flummoxed them about Pyro’s is the impression that Pyro’s is a chain. “We don’t want to be viewed as carpetbaggers,” says Foreman. They think the issue may be that the spaces are clean, the service and food is uniform. “If you’re nice or stylish, you can’t be from Memphis,” ventures Cotham.

This is perhaps why the names for their ice cream spots focus on the site: Levee Creamery for Houston Levee and Highland Creamery for the street.

The creameries serve up hand-churned ice cream and French Truck coffees. They offer cake batter gelato, cookie doughs, waffle cones, and milkshakes. The Electric Fence Shake comes with two shots of espresso. There’s also a cold espresso bar.

At Wolf River Brisket, they serve Texas-style brisket cooked in a Memphis manner — low and slow. They also serve burned ends. To those uninitiated, the burned ends are the fatty ends of the brisket that are cubed and smoked. At Wolf River, they cover it in sauce and smoke it again so it creates a caramelized bark. “It’s the best of Texas and Kansas City,” says Cotham.

Cotham and Foreman say they have a list of ideas, places they’ve encountered while traveling that they think would translate well in Memphis. But they aren’t divulging what’s in store.

Cotham spells out their business approach, “It’s good for us; it’s good for Memphis.”

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza in Memphis

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Has there ever been a more hated foodstuff than gluten?

The proliferation of gluten-free pizza on local menus is indicative of this ill will held by celiacs and gluten-intolerants alike. Heck, some people choose to be gluten-free (GF) just because they can! This is America after all.

When it comes to deciding who has the best gluten-free pizza in town, it’s a hard thing to judge. Andria Brown, who was diagnosed with celiac disease a couple of years ago, explains, “Non-GF people just shouldn’t eat it, and GF people’s opinions vary depending on how long it’s been since they had real pizza. In general, the thinner, crispier crusts are better because they’re not trying to be soft and chewy.”

Leigh Espy, who is gluten-intolerant, agrees. “Gluten-free crust is not the same — you don’t get that lovely chewy texture, but I’ve always preferred the thin, crispy crust anyway.”

Of course, depending on how much you hate gluten (and how much it hates you), cross-contamination factors must be considered as well. Here’s an overview of your current options:

Mellow Mushroom

Annica Kreider, VP of brand development, says Mellow Mushroom began offering gluten-free crust several years ago as a result of requests from guests who were no longer able to enjoy pizza. It is celiac-safe. ”We pride ourselves on this aspect of our program. Our cooks have been trained on the importance of preventing cross-contamination,” Kreider says. The kitchen staff will wash their hands, put on fresh gloves and a fresh apron, and only use gluten-free dedicated cooking utensils and ingredients. Everything is made to order and prepared in a separate area. A screen pan is used during the baking process so the gluten-free crust never makes direct contact with the pizza stone. ”While realizing that a gluten-free crust would likely never taste the same as our signature Mellow dough, our goal was to deliver a flavor profile that was just as delicious as our regular crust for the gluten-free audience,” explains Kreider. 

It has totally different ingredients from the regular crust, which is thicker. “A combination of ancient grains really gives it a delicious and hearty flavor, and it crisps up very nicely.  We also were able to make it vegan in the reformulation,” she says.

The crust is very popular, thanks to a dedicated marketing campaign.

mellowmushroom.com

Rock’n Dough Pizza Co.

Amanda Denno says at Rock’n Dough they had a substantial customer demand for a gluten-free and/or low-carb option. “Some people simply preferred to eat low-carb, and other people needed to avoid gluten due to dietary sensitivities or gluten allergies,” she says.

They use a pizza crust mix from local Memphis company Nourishe and prepare it in-house. The crust mix itself is 100-percent gluten-free, however, Rock’n Dough prepares this dough mix in a kitchen where flour containing gluten is heavily used. Steps they take to minimize gluten cross-contamination include storing it separately from other ingredients in a sealed container and preparing the gluten- and grain-sensitive dough at different times than gluten-containing dough.

“We take care to minimize cross-contamination, but it is possible that small amounts of gluten do get incorporated. For this reason, we cannot guarantee the crust we serve in the restaurant is 100 percent gluten free,” Denno says. This pizza crust is therefore not suitable for people with severe gluten allergies or reactions. It is listed as “gluten- and grain-sensitive” on the menu, and they train their staff to discuss the possibility of cross-contamination with their guests so they can be fully informed. 

Denno says the crust tastes great. It contains nut, seed, and root vegetable flours and is naturally free from gluten, grains, and soy. It is also lower in carbohydrates than many other gluten-free products and is Paleo-diet friendly. “Nourishe specializes in great-tasting gluten-free products, and we specialize in great pizza — when you combine them, it is the best!” she says.

Rock’n Dough does not currently offer gluten-free on their food truck, but they do offer it for private catering events, where the menu is decided prior to the event.

rockndoughpizza.com

Pyro’s Fire Fresh Pizza

Co-owner Chad Foreman says Pyro’s offers a gluten-free crust that many guests, both those with celiac disease and those just wanting to minimize gluten in their diets, really like.  “Our gluten-free crust is made with rice flour, and we offer to cook it in a pan for our more sensitive guests,” he says.

However, they do not offer a 100-percent gluten-free experience. “We do not recommend any of our products for individuals that are extremely sensitive. Since we make our signature thin crust in-house everyday with flour and semolina, our restaurant has gluten particles everywhere, which makes cross-contamination virtually impossible to avoid,” Foreman explains. This cross-contamination means that although their rice-based crust is gluten-free, most of the toppings and the oven they cook it in are not gluten-free.  

Guests are pleasantly surprised by how light and airy the crust is.  

pyrospizza.com

Russo’s New York Pizzeria

Chef Anthony Russo spent two years perfecting the recipe for his gluten-free crust. The secret is that it is bound together with honey and a Sicilian olive oil made specifically for Russo’s.

Jackson Lewis, the franchise’s PR representative, says there is a serious need for great-tasting gluten-free options, and because of this, Russo’s offers guests an entirely gluten-free menu. Additionally, the retail version of the gluten-free pizza is sold in 3,000 grocery stores across the United States.

Local franchise owner, Brett Steiner, says to prevent cross-contamination in the Germantown store, they keep the pizza crust in a separate cooler and change their gloves prior to making the order. The crust is very popular. They sell at least 50 a week.

nypizzeria.com

Hog & Hominy

Hog & Hominy makes its gluten-free dough in-house. For a $3 upcharge, all pizzas on the menu can be made gluten-free. They keep the dough separate and roll it separately, but it isn’t guaranteed to be 100-percent safe for celiacs because regular flour is used throughout the kitchen.

hogandhominy.com

Ciao Bella

Ciao Bella orders a gluten-free, pre-baked, 12-inch crust from a company in New Jersey called Conte’s Pasta through their specialty foods distributor. It is prepared with separate utensils, but it is prepared in the same pizza station as the rest of the pizzas and cooked and in the same pizza oven as everything else.

ciaobellamemphis.info

Memphis Pizza Cafe

MPC also orders a frozen gluten-free crust. Like Ciao Bella, they use separate utensils, but it is prepared and cooked in the same station/oven as regular pies.

memphispizzacafe.com

Chuck E. Cheese’s

Chuck E. Cheese’s has a gluten-free pizza that comes in a sealed, oven-safe bag. It isn’t opened until it gets to the table, and a one-time-use pizza cutter is provided. It’s celiac safe, but rumor has it, not very tasty!

chuckecheese.com

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Decisions, Decisions

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

There are those among us who love the build-your-own option offered by some local restaurants. They like having things their way. Others seek the safety of the already set menu items. And then there are those of us who see all the decisions ahead — choose a protein, the bread, the three or more toppings, the sauce, the extras (never mind the impatient sighing of the customer next in line) — and try not to freak the eff out.

To that latter group, we say: Keep calm, read on …

Miss Cordelia’s

Miss Cordelia’s launched the build-your-own sandwich menu a little over a month ago after sitting on the idea for almost three years. “I knew it would work. It was just a matter of implementation,” explains David Thornton, who wears several hats at the store, including marketing manager, chef, and deli manager.

“Our customers became regulars, and the regulars would decide something they wanted to add or take away from our signature sandwiches. It seemed a natural progression to let them design the sandwich themselves,” Thornton says. His main concern was that if popular, the order-taking process could become very slow. He designed a menu with the options on it that can be filled out before coming to the register. There is a blanket set price so it is simple to ring up, and the line moves quickly.

To build a perfect sandwich, Thornton says to think not only about what you like but what works well together.

“You might love corned beef and balsamic vinaigrette, but I don’t think I’d recommend it as a panini,” he says. “In truth, classic sandwiches are classic because the ingredients all work together. I like to tell people to take something like a classic ham and Swiss but play around with the vegetables a little bit. The choice of vegetables, sauces, and bread is the key.”

Some popular sandwiches at Miss Cordelia’s that can be tweaked include the Tuscan Sun (grilled chicken, slow-roasted tomatoes, roasted portobello, pesto mayo, and provolone cheese on ciabatta), Tom’s Poppin’ BLT (Tom’s Tiny Kitchen Pimento, bacon, jalapeno, lettuce, tomato, and cream cheese on toasted wheat), and Chris’s Chipotle (Boar’s Head chipotle chicken, chipotle mayo, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato on ciabatta).

Thornton’s favorite build-your-own sandwich is the Italian Trio of meats (prosciutto, salami, and mortadella) with Swiss cheese, spinach, roasted red peppers, black olives, and pesto mayo on ciabatta. “It is pretty close to one of our sandwiches on the menu with a few slight changes to my tastes, which is exactly how I think the build-your-own sandwich menu works best,” he says.

737 Harbor Bend (526-4772)

misscordelias.com

PYRO’S

Kirk Cotham and his business partner, Chad Foreman, spent about a year researching and developing the concept and then opened the first PYRO’S in the fall of 2013. For them, it was essentially about creating an experience to give guests exactly what they want as best as they could. “Pizza has traditionally been limited to either sharing a pizza and therefore negotiating with the rest of the party on what to get that will satisfy everyone or buying a slice of pizza. Our concept allows for everyone to have exactly the pizza they want,” Cotham explains.

At PYRO’S, there is no charge for extra ingredients, so guests don’t have to worry about the price of the pizza if they go a little crazy with the toppings. Cotham notes that their process of bringing guests through the line allows them to “fine tune” the pizza further by ordering one ingredient only on one part of the pizza or asking for a little more of something to really customize the dish. 

He says the response to the concept in general has been phenomenal: “We see people expanding into different ingredients and adding things that they might not have ever tried before, like our roasted broccoli. It has become a very popular pizza topping.”

Cotham has a few rules of thumb for creating the perfect pizza. Among them: Don’t be afraid to ask about an ingredient or a combination. “Our staff eats our food and knows it very well, so they can help you build something you will enjoy. We love to talk about pizza.”

Don’t be afraid to try something new is another suggestion from Cotham. “If it sounds good to you, it probably will be, and if it doesn’t turn out like you thought it would, just let us know, and we will be happy to make you a new one.”

Cotham’s favorite pizza creation is a spicy marinara with steak, broccoli, and bacon and finished with the house-made honey balsamic finishing sauce. “The spiciness of the marinara mixes well with the sweetness of the finishing sauce, and I can’t stop ordering it,” he says. 

1199 Ridgeway (379-8294)

2035 Union (208-8857)

pyrospizza.com 

Swanky’s and Cheffie’s

Swanky’s Taco Shop and Cheffie’s Café are siblings, without the rivalry. The goal for both is to create a custom-dining experience for each guest who walks through the door. They want everyone to be confident they will get exactly what they are craving, which is why they allow the build-to-taste option.

Lindsey Archer, director of marketing for Swanky’s, shies away from offering some rules of thumb. “The beauty of the build-to-taste concept is that there are no rules,” she says. “Guests get to decide what is best for them.”

Archer does offer one bit of advice, though: Do not fear the sauces. “Topping off your burrito with Swanky’s signature garlic sauce or your Cheffie’s sandwich with the house-made pesto schmear adds that little extra,” she says.

Despite the limitless possibilities, there are some trends with the DIY orders. At Swanky’s, they see more chicken burrito bowls travel down the line than anything else. “Guests love the healthy option of the burrito bowl, where they can load all those fresh ingredients in, minus the carbs of the tortilla,” Archer explains.

When it comes to healthy options, the same goes for Cheffie’s custom salads. “Our sliced marinated chicken atop a bed of mixed greens and piled high with fresh ingredients from the line seems to be a crowd pleaser,” says Hillary Vance, the marketing coordinator at Cheffie’s. Archer and Vance do have their own DIY favorites.

“From day one, I’ve loved Swanky’s marinated pork. My go-to is a pork burrito filled with black beans, garlic sauce, roasted corn, pico de gallo, and cheese, topped with tomatillo sauce and wrapped in a steaming white tortilla,” Archer says.

Vance’s top pick at Cheffie’s is a roast beef sandwich on artisan white bread, loaded with sun-dried tomatoes, pepperjack cheese, leaf lettuce, and red onion, topped with the house-made horseradish schmear and toasted on the panini press.

Cheffie’s Café, 483 High Point Terrace (343-0488)

cheffies.com

Swanky’s Taco Shop, 4770 Poplar (730-0763); 6641 Poplar (737-2088)

swankystacoshop.com