The popular Wesley Heights restaurant Pizza Baby is preparing to expand for the first time, opening Pizza Baby East in Elizabeth at 1603 Elizabeth Ave.
Co-owners Steven De Falco and chef Trey Wilson of Art & Commerce Food Group had the idea to open this “Americana” pizza concept during the pandemic after mandatory business shutdowns, according to the Charlotte Observer. Wilson, who opened Customshop in Elizabeth 15 years ago, followed by a second venture, Flour Shop, survived by offering take-out pizzas on sourdough for take-out.
After testing dozens of doughs, the duo recently opened Pizza Baby at 2135 Thrift Road. With the brick-and-mortar established, De Falco and Wilson are ready to expand the business. The two tell What Now Charlotte that they have taken over the space next to Customshop, which Wilson founded in 2007 and sold a little over a year ago. They hope to open Pizza Baby East sometime in early 2024, according to the Observer. Like the original in Wesley Heights, customers can expect freshly baked bread made in-house, locally sourced ingredients from Joyce Farms, Seven Sisters Farm, Wild Hope Farm, and a local mushroom grower.
Pizza Baby offers 18-inch pies, roast beef sandwiches, salads, and other sandwiches, such as the PLT with pancetta, lettuce, and tomato. Some pizza favorites include the Starsky, a meat lover’s delight seasoned with oregano and Calabrian pepper, and the Farmer, with a mushroom crema base and topped with corn and pancetta. These ingredients have made Pizza Baby so popular that the owners are opening Pizza Baby East early next year and possibly more.
“We have quite a few concepts up our sleeve,” De Falco tells the Charlotte Observer.
