A mother of a pizza joint: Pizza Baby restaurant is born in Charlotte
Meet the Mother of Charlotte’s newest pizza restaurant, Pizza Baby.
She starts with dough fermented for 48 hours, and is then topped with tomato and mozzarella. Add-ons like fennel sausage, roasted mushrooms and market greens, all sourced locally, complete this minimalist, traditional pie with lots of flavor.
“The cheese, a New York-style crust…” said Steven De Falco, who partnered with Chef Trey Wilson to open Pizza Baby at 2135 Thrift Road in Wesley Heights. “With the add-ons, it becomes a canvas. The Mother is a classic.”
Wilson opened Customshop in Elizabeth 15 years ago, and a second venture, Flour Shop, about 7 years ago. The concept for Pizza Baby was born at Flour Shop, out of necessity during the restaurant shut-downs at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wilson’s business survived by offering take-out pizzas on sourdough for take out. After some breadmaking courses and mentoring by pizzaiolos Rob Cervoni and Domenico Tolomeo of Taglio Pizza in Mineola, Long Island, opening up a pizza shop seemed like a natural progression.
Wilson and De Falco call their pizza style “Americana.” The crust is a “beautiful hybrid — it’s textured and chewy all at once,” De Falco said.
They tested 29 doughs before opening Pizza Baby with the 30th, tweaked to perfection.
“The final product is amazing,” Wilson said. “The crumb is beautiful. It just takes time — you can’t rush it.”
Right now, Pizza Baby offers five 18-inch pies.
- The bestseller so far is the Starsky, a meat lover’s delight, seasoned with oregano and calabrian pepper, for added zip.
- Wilson’s favorite is the Farmer, with a mushroom crema base and topped with corn and what the chef calls a “beautiful pancetta.”
After you’ve tried all the pies, go for a roast beef sandwich on paper-thin bianca bread with dill havarti, horseradish and arugula, or the PLT — pancetta, lettuce and tomato. For starters, there’s burrata with pistachio pesto and Sicilian olive oil or hearty meatballs over filone. Have a simple salad like the Little Gem — garlic crumb, dill, chives, pecorino and green goddess dressing — on the side. Quench those carbs with local craft beer, a variety of imported wines or an Italian-style aperol seltzer and finish your meal with soft serve ice cream.
All breads are baked in-house. Locally sourced ingredients come from Joyce Farms, Seven Sisters Farm, Wild Hope Farm and a local mushroom grower. That beautiful crust starts with flour from Lindley Mills.
“There’s not a single ingredient that’s not local,” Wilson said.
Wilson and De Falco almost literally bumped into each other at Not Just Coffee at Atherton Mill two years ago and their venture, Art & Commerce Food Group, was born from that chance meeting.
“We have quite a few concepts up our sleeve,” De Falco said. That includes Pizza Baby East, opening in Elizabeth in early 2024.
For now, you’ll have to get your Pizza Baby fix on the west side. Business has been brisk, growing by word of mouth and social media chats in Wesley Heights.
“Phenomenal,” Wilson said. “We’re happily surprised to see such support.”
Make a reservation for Pizza Baby through Open Table. Or go old school and call 980-207-1320 for take-out or delivery (Wesley Heights only).
Pizza Baby
Location: 2135 Thrift Rd #101, Charlotte, NC 28208
Instagram: @eatpizzababy
This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 9:26 AM.
