An acclaimed local pizza concept is preparing to open its first brick-and-mortar space, with an eye on future growth.
Phew’s Pies is headed to Municipal Market, bringing its gourmet pizza and signature flavors to the Sweet Auburn destination.
“We’re pushing hard to get everything open and ready and are very close,” owner Matthew Foster told What Now Atlanta.
Foster’s passion for pizza goes way back. It’s always been his favorite food, an interest he cultivated further by watching a YouTube series called The Pizza Show. The series features restaurateur and Best Pizza owner Frank Pinello visiting pizzerias across the country.
“I watched that show religiously every day,” Foster said.
At a previous job, he ate pizza regularly, garnering attention from colleagues who pointed out his affinity for the Italian delicacy. He eventually worked at Ammazza, a now-closed restaurant on Edgewood Avenue.
His interest in the culinary world – and pizza in particular – sharpened during a time when many people discovered or rediscovered hobbies: the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Foster had been working in the entertainment industry, going on tour as part of a gig with Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out freestyle show. That came to a halt in 2020.
“I was back home, bored like everyone else,” Foster said. “Everyone was doing sourdough bread. I was making pizza.”
He bought books. He did research. And he started cooking pizza for friends and family.
“My brother lived a mile away from me. I would make a gallon Ziploc of slices and take it over to him,” he said. “It went from, ‘This is terrible’ to ‘This is actually pretty good.'”
As he sharpened his skills and learned more about the craft of pizza, Foster started thinking about how The Pizza Show never substantially featured places in the South. Places like New York, Chicago and Detroit are known for pizza and their signature styles of the dish. So he got to thinking: What would the South’s signature pizza look like?
That’s how he started developing what would become the signature pizza of Phew’s Pies: the lemon pepper wet pizza, inspired by the seasoning of lemon pepper wings.
The pizza really took flight when it went viral on social media.
“I would put out a pizza menu for friends and family,” Foster said. “A buddy of mine saw it, he pulled up to my townhouse and bought the lemon pepper wet pizza and put it on Twitter. It went viral. That day I did another 30 or 40 pizzas, then it went super viral when Killer Mike retweeted it. There were close to 100,000 views, probably 10,000 retweets and shares.”
“Y’all support this biz! I gotta try the lemon pepper pie! That’s some Atl shit!” read the post from rapper Killer Mike.
Now, pizza is Foster’s full-time job. Phew’s Pies has operated as a pop-up, doing events and residences at breweries, bars and other establishments. Phew’s Pies also got a mobile trailer to do larger-format events like weddings and festivals.
The concept has garnered acclaim since its inception, competing on Good Morning America in 2023 for Best Pizza in America. Phew’s Pies took first place in Atlanta and second place nationally, which Foster counts as one of his proudest moments since launching the business.
The space at Municipal Market, expected to open next month, is the first time Phew’s Pies is expanding into brick-and-mortar. But the plans don’t end there.
When Foster was first watching The Pizza Show and diving into all things pizza, he started cooking up a vision for what his own concept would look like in Atlanta, coming up with a three-pronged approach. One: a traditional sit-down pizza restaurant. Two: A quick-serve slice shop. (The Municipal Market outpost will help check this box.) Finally: A fine-dining pizza concept that pushes the boundaries.
“It would push the limits of conceptually what we can make out of pizza, with elevated ingredients, unconventional application, paired with white tablecloths,” he said. “It has fine-dining allure, but it’s pizza still.”
Despite being known for his unique culinary concoctions, Foster also appreciates the basics.
“I’m a pizza purist. I always eat margherita pizza,” he said.
Follow on Instagram to stay updated @phewpies.
