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[FOOD NEWS]
Pie Oh My Pizza Champ will open alongside a new Side Project Brewery location in early 2022 Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
P
izza Champ (forthcoming location at 2657 Lyle Avenue, Maplewood) may have been born of pandemic-related necessity, but soon it will become a full fledged part of the t. ouis food and beverage scene. The popular pizza pop-up, courtesy of Elmwood’s (2704 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; 314-2614708) Adam Altnether and Chris elling is set to become a standalone, brick-and-mortar restaurant in Maplewood early next year featuring the pi as salads and sandwiches that have gained it a loyal following over the past year and a half. et to open in early i a Champ will be located just down the street and around the corner from Elmwood, the restaurant where the pizza pop-up was born in response to ’s pandemic induced closures. The s uare foot space will be set up for counter service additionally an ad oining seat patio that can be enclosed and heated in the chillier months will provide seating for guests who wish to stay and enjoy their pies on site. The restaurant will split the building with a new concept from ide ro ect rewing. Though Altnether and elling have noted that a pizza concept in some form had been in their back pocket for a while, the pair felt compelled to make it a reality sooner than expected when pandemic related closures and changes to the nature of dining forced their hand in uly of . As elling explains the launch of i a hamp during that time had less to do with their desire to pursue their vision for a pizza spot and more to do with simply eeping lmwood’s doors open. ur first intention was survival elling says. In uly of
The forthcoming standalone Pizza Champ will share its space with a new Side Project Brewing location. | RENDERING COURTESY OF PIZZA CHAMP we reali ed that percent dining room capacity wasn’t going to happen and to go plated dinners had fallen out of fashion. e’d always thought about pi a but this was born out of our need to survive. Altnether and elling launched i a hamp out of lmwood in uly of and found immediate success. nown for its eighteen inch pizzas cooked in a bricklined oven i a hamp too Altnether’s immense culinary talent and applied it to a more casual form resulting in everything from a best-in-class traditional pepperoni pie to more creative offerings li e a grilled ale and ricotta version. As word of their pi a excellence spread through the community Altnether and elling found themselves able to serve guests who might not have otherwise sat for one of lmwood’s dinner experiences. Now, the pair are excited to have a permanent spot to build upon that momentum, and they are confident that the synergy with the ad acent ide ro ect rewing that the new location provides will help them in those efforts. Though i a hamp and the new ide ro ect spot will be two separate businesses, they will operate in conjunction with one another guests can order ide ro ect beers as well as wine and
cocktails, out of a dedicated window and order i a hamp from its own food counter. The idea is for guests to draw a little bit from each business and either take the food and beverage to go or en oy it on the patio. ventually Altnether and elling plan to wor out an arrangement to have i a hamp delivered to ide ro ect’s brewery down the road. I’ve nown ory and aren ing for years but we’ve gotten to know their team, and every single person at the cellar and the brewery wants you to enjoy their beers elling says. bviously the product stands by itself and is terrific but the team and culture there is really unmatched. It’s a positive environment like the one we try to create every day, and that synergy made it seem li e we could share this very small space together. lus Adam and ory remind me of each other with their commitment to using the best products nowing all the steps and their recognition of what is good. They are two of the hardest wor ing smartest people I have been around. Until the new location opens, Altnether and elling will continue to offer i a hamp out of Elmwood as they have been for the last year and a half. As for Elmwood, they have temporarily suspended operations to focus on
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getting i a hamp up and running though elling insists the closure will be short lived. rior to the suspension, the pair were wor ing on twea ing the lmwood concept turning the restaurant into a more formal, pre-paid, coursed experience a slight break from their initial idea of lmwood as a neighborhood gathering place e ually suitable for special occasion dinners as it was for wee night burgers and beers at the bar. Though elling says he and Altnether are not completely set on their idea about what the path forward looks like for Elmwood, he believes that the success they had in offering an more upscale experience over the past couple of months will likely dictate the restaurant’s future. e ind of leaned into being a fancy place, and the momentum was there elling says. ur last wee end offering the coursed dinners was our busiest wee end since arch of . e’re going to lean into that with the return of lmwood. e will come bac in spring and see what summer holds and what happens with public health and sentiment, and will figure out the evolution from there. e’re happy to thin of i a hamp as a neighborhood place and Elmwood as a special occasion restaurant. n
JANUARY 5-11, 2022
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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