By Teri Bayus ~
My granddaughter just turned 4 and with this abundance of years on the planet, she has developed a picky palate.
In fact, the only thing she will eat is exotic unicorn or dragon meat with a tossing of Tinkerbelle’s dust on a bed of Willy Wonka’s vegetables.
Even though she has been eating with me in restaurants since she was 2-weeks-old and knows how to order, and compliment the chef, she has now decided that she needs to control everything including what she eats.
I tried something new to satisfy her discerning penchant upon hearing about a new pizza joint where you can literally make your own pizza. With late hours, healthy options and cheap prices, Blaze Pizza in San Luis Obispo, desires to become the perfect meal for any kid. This pizza place offers all you-can-eat toppings, gluten-free options and even vegan cheese.
We ordered a “Do It Yourself” pizza and the little princess was engaged and excited to control the destiny of her pizza. Garlic pesto sauce became fairy dust, the mozzarella shredded cheese became unicorn hair, the pepperoni were spots, and the pineapple the hoofs.
She ordered the same pizza she usually likes, but because it was made just for her, not to share or with anyone else’s preferences on it, it became a treat to be devoured. She ate every bite of her 8-inch creation.
We all ordered individual pizzas with the boys’ heaped with meatballs, sausage and pepperoni. I tried the white sauce, roasted garlic, sautéed onions, chicken, and mushrooms with a dusting of sea salt on the top.
I was impressed with the quality and quantity or items you could choose to sprinkle on your pie. It was one of the best pizza’s I’ve tried. Amazed and intrigued, I asked where this genius concept came from.
The manager said Blaze offers exceptional quality, cooked at lightning fast speed. Designed by Executive Chef Bradford Kent (a.k.a. “The Pizza Whisperer”), his goal was to put fresh, made-from-scratch dough alongside healthful, artisanal ingredients on an assembly line. You get to pick as much or as little as you want.
From towers of meat and cheeses to fresh vegetables, there’s no limit to what you can put on your pizza. The concept behind Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza is simple: You pick your crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings, and your pie is popped into a blazing-hot oven for a mere 180 seconds. It then emerges, ready for your enjoyment. It’s fresh. It’s fast. It’s exactly what you want it to be.
It’s a chain (which I usually avoid), but this DIY pizzeria spoke to my need to finally get the pizza I want, not the one the tossers in the back decide. Blaze is a new and growing franchise with more than 100 locations. Locally, one of its owners, Mitch Wolf, has been a marketing instructor at Cal Poly for 10 years.
CEO and founder Rick Wetzel explained that the idea was actually conceived out of a need I share. “My wife and I were looking for lunch one day,” he said. “We wanted pizza but were disappointed to find that there was nothing available that was both fast and fresh. So we ended up at Chipotle instead.
“Elise looked at me and asked if the Chipotle service model would work for pizza? That was our ‘Ah-ha!’ moment.”
Simply put, where fast food focuses on the value of the food, Blaze focuses on the value of the experience. Wetzel’s inspiration comes at a time when there is a greater demand for fast food made from fresh, high-quality ingredients.
If you are not feeling or don’t want a unicorn pizza, they offer Signature Pizzas with plenty of choices to satisfy the artisan within. I had to try the “Art Lover” with artichokes, mozzarella, ricotta, chopped garlic, and red sauce dollops. It was fantastic and I enjoyed a draft beer while Gary inhaled the S’more cookie before his “Meat Eater” with pepperoni, crumbled meatballs, red onion, mozzarella, and red sauce.
I went there four times last week, as my granddaughter is obsessed with the pizza and it was her birthday week. Everything I have had is fresh and the staff is friendly, helpful and fun. It is the perfect food for families or starving students whose mom told them to eat healthy. This is the best fast food alternative I have ever experienced.
Blaze Pizza is located at 892 East Foothill Blvd. Call them at (805) 788-0619. They are open daily, Mondays-Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
