Our Process
Pizza taken seriously, from the first mix to the last slice.
Every great pie is decided long before it hits the oven. Ours starts with dough that takes days, not hours, and finishes with toppings we’d put our name on. Here’s what goes into it.
We’re a scratch kitchen in San Diego’s East Village, steps from Petco Park, and nothing about our pizza is rushed. The dough is mixed on-site, the ingredients are chosen by name, and every pie on our food menu is the result of three decisions we refuse to cut corners on: the flour, the fermentation, and what goes on top.
It Starts With the Flour
We build our dough on high-gluten flour, chosen for flavor first and performance second. It handles high hydration without giving up structure, which is exactly what gives our crust its chew, its lift, and its char.
High-gluten flour carries more protein than the all-purpose flour most kitchens reach for, and that protein is what builds a strong, elastic gluten network. A stronger network holds more water and traps more of the gas that fermentation produces, so the dough stretches thin without tearing and bakes up with an open, airy rim instead of a dense, bready one.
It’s a more demanding dough to work with, and it’s worth it. You taste the difference in the first bite, which is why we think the crust is the best part of the slice.
48 to 72 Hours of Patience
Every batch is mixed on-site using an indirect method, then left to ferment for two to three days. Slow fermentation does the heavy lifting: a lighter crust, deeper flavor, and dough that’s easier to digest.
Indirect means we don’t mix everything at once. A portion of the flour, water, and yeast is started ahead of time as a pre-ferment, then built into the final dough. That head start develops flavor and aroma a same-day dough never gets the chance to.
Over the next 48 to 72 hours, yeast and natural enzymes slowly break down the starches and proteins in the flour. That’s where the subtle tang, the color on the crust, and the tender, open crumb come from. It also means the pizza you order tonight was started earlier this week.
Toppings We’d Put Our Name On
Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes. Grande cheese. Ezzo pepperoni. Produce sourced or curated locally. As a scratch kitchen, we know exactly what goes into every pizza, and that’s what lets us serve you our best, every single time.
Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes are organic, grown and canned in California, and they taste like tomatoes: bright and naturally sweet, so a good sauce doesn’t need much help. Grande is the mozzarella serious pizzerias ask for by name because it melts evenly and stays creamy instead of greasy. Ezzo pepperoni curls into crisp-edged cups as it bakes, the way good pepperoni should.
None of these are the cheapest option, and that’s the point. The same thinking carries through everything we make, from the lunch menu to catering for the office.
Taste the Difference
Our California-style pizzas say it best: a New York-style crust topped with the kind of specialty produce you find at a farmers market. Bright, fresh, unexpected. We love what we do, and we’re glad you’re here to share it with us.
The best way to understand the process is to eat the result. Find us at 410 Tenth Avenue in the East Village, steps from Petco Park, or order online. Feeding a crowd? Ask about catering and private events. Questions about the dough or ingredients? Our FAQs cover the common ones.