Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza announced the opening of its newest restaurant in Pasadena, California. Located at the La Cañada Town Center at 990 Town Center Drive, the restaurant is near Sport Chalet, Chipotle, Panera Bread, and the Habit Burger Grill. To celebrate, the company will offer its fast-fire’d artisan pizzas free to Blaze Pizza’s Facebook fans on October 9 between 5 and 9 p.m. Those who "like" the Blaze Pizza page on Facebook can print out a screen shot or present it on their mobile device to enjoy any signature or build-your-own pizza at no charge.
Blaze Pizza uses an interactive ordering format that lets guests customize pizzas as they walk down the line, choosing from a wide selection of artisanal toppings—all for about $7. The personal pizzas are then sent to an open-flame oven where so-called “pizzasmiths” ensure that the thin-crust pies are baked in less than 180 seconds.
To achieve the ideal pizza, the company teamed up with executive chef Bradford Kent, owner of Los Angeles' Olio Pizzeria & Café. Blaze Pizza makes its own dough using a recipe developed by Kent, which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature crisp crust. The restaurant uses ingredients ranging from inventive to classic, and its menu also features salads, fresh lemonades, craft beer and wine, and house-made S’more Pies. For customers with specific dietary needs, Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese.
“Blaze Pizza is all about letting folks build pizzas any way they want with our ingredients and crust. It’s a concept I’m thrilled to lend my expertise to,” Kent says.
The pizza joint teamed with principal designer Ana Henton of Los Angeles’ MASS Architecture and Design to perfect its interior and exterior. Designed to be both casual and current, Henton used urban architectural notes inspired by fire and foundries. The restaurant features an outdoor patio with additional seating for afternoon and evening. Additionally, Blaze Pizza works to ensure its packaging is eco-friendly and made in the U.S. from post-consumer recycled or sustainable materials.
The company is looking forward to building strong roots with members of the local community when the La Cañada location opens. To that end, Blaze Pizza has developed a turn-key in-restaurant fundraiser program that returns 20 percent of an event’s proceeds back to local organizations, and hopes to partner with local schools, sports clubs, and other local organizations to host fundraising events at the new restaurant.
