Charlotte pop-up will bring ‘East Coast-style pizza’ restaurant to Optimist Park
The owners of Bird Pizzeria, a pizza pop-up appearing around Charlotte since October 2020, plan to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant later this year in the Optimist Park neighborhood.
It all started with a leap of faith and a goal to bring their love of pizza to the community after months of a pandemic that limited human connection.
But before the pandemic, and before co-owners Kerrel and Nkem Thompson began serving blistered, shimmering pies fresh from an electric Ooni oven underneath a tent, Kerrel walked into a prominent Italian restaurant in Charlotte and asked for a job.
“They’re like, ‘Have you done this before?’”
“I’m like, ‘Well, yes, sort of,” he said.
The restaurant’s previous pizza maker had just put in his two weeks’ notice, and it needed a replacement. Thompson had all of the enthusiasm needed for the gig but barely any of the experience. He’d made pizza at home for a while, and he had a dream to pursue pizza as a career. Despite how green he was, he landed the gig.
Kerrel describes a natural draw toward making pizza — one that allowed him to exceed even his own expectations. “I don’t know what came over me, man. But I’m making pizza like I’ve been doing it for 25 years or something.”
For Kerrel, this was a revelation that he was on the right path. He already knew his goal was to open his own pizza place — he’d been dreaming of it for years. He just needed to test his theory.
Bird Pizzeria’s beginnings
The thematic foundation of Bird Pizzeria started back when Kerrel was in high school. He took a nature studies class, and a component of that class was studying birds. “Strangely enough, it just, like, stayed with me my entire life,” he said. Their colors were especially inspiring to him.
The imagery was already in place, but in 2013, the concept was beginning to take root. Kerrel was looking at opening a spot in Chicago. His wife and Bird’s co-owner, Nkem Thompson, was in architecture school, and he asked her to make a rendering of the space.
“I was very hype about pizza for a while on a professional level,” he said.
Life got in the way, and they started another business — an apparel company called In Our Nature. But pizza was always in his plan.
“Pizza, man … that’s one of my love languages,” Kerrel said.
Kerrel and Nkem are both from the Midwest — Cleveland and Chicago, respectively. They both grew up in “pizza cities.” In Nkem’s estimation, it only took until their second date for pizza eating to become their tradition — every Sunday, they’d check out a different pizzeria together in Chicago, and then Kerrel started making pizza at home. And yes, they had pizza at their wedding. Eventually, they began to dream of their own place.
Growth during the pandemic
At the beginning of the pandemic, Kerrel made a bold statement: He was going to make pizza every day. He made so much pizza that he and Nkem found themselves running a pizza shop from the house, giving out pies to friends and family who wanted it. It was dual purpose: an opportunity to catch up with loved ones amid a distant time, but also a chance to hone the craft.
“The pandemic allowed us to move at the pace that was appropriate for us,” Nkem said.
Without the conventional pressures of the full-speed world, they were able to focus on their pizza making without forcing anything.
After months of the at-home pop-up, they launched in October 2020 to “everyone.” They kicked off a residency with Bond Street Wines that extended for two months. Then, in early November, they locked down their business license, turning Bird Pizzeria into an LLC. Since then, they’ve been popping up around the area — and getting everything ready for their upcoming shop.
Another underpinning of the business is Kerrel’s connection to his faith. The Bird logo, a hand with the ring finger touching the thumb, spells out Jesus Christ. “This thing is blessed,” he said.
‘What a family of pizza looks like’
The duo has found it relatively easy to begin and grow their fledgling pizza business, but along the way, they’ve met some challenges from the outside. People challenge their authority on the dish all the time.
“Because we’re a Black family, (people ask), ‘Do you make your own dough?’” Kerrel said.
They get asked that question almost every single pop-up, he said. “We don’t resemble the tradition of what a family of pizza looks like,” Nkem said. “I’m not doing this with the thought of holding up to some Italian standard,” Kerrel said.
What’s the pizza like?
In fact, the Thompsons don’t make a pizza that adheres to any one style — or any one tradition.
“The pizza we make is the pizza I like the most, which is sort of this hybrid New York, East Coast-style pizza,” Kerrel said.
Imagine a round, chewy crust that’s not shy on the browning. It’s cooked over an open flame and has a bit more structure than your classic Neapolitan.
When you visit one of Bird’s pop-ups, you might notice Nkem scattering breadcrumbs into the to-go pizza box before she places the piping-hot pie inside. That’s the kind of detail that makes a Bird pizza something off-book but totally intuitive. Some pizza configurations to expect are a Margherita style pie or a pepperoni and sausage pie gilded with red onions.
Next up: a Bird Pizzeria restaurant
Kerrel and Nkem are planning to open a 500-square-foot brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Optimist Park area. Watch this space for more details.
At the new Bird Pizzeria, they’ll sell full pizzas, pizza by the slice and sandwiches, along with specialty dishes.
Bird Pizzeria
Location: Location pending
Neighborhood: Optimist Park
Instagram: @birdpizzeria
Correction: A previous version of this story mentioned parmesan in the pizza box. The correct scattering is breadcrumbs, and the story now reflects that.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 11:09 AM.