Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza, a fast-casual concept known for its chef-driven menu and casually hip restaurants, announced that it will soon open its seventh New York location in Syracuse. The Syracuse restaurant located at 727 South Crouse Ave. features a 3,000-square foot interior and is located just steps from Syracuse University.

The prime location of the new Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza is located on a property owned by well-respected niche real estate development firm, Aptitude Development. Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza will soon be part of one of Aptitude’s newest and most exciting projects, a mixed-use student housing project that towers over Marshall Street, the main retail corridor at Syracuse University. Aptitude Development, which underwent a major expansion earlier this year, has been hugely successful as a fully-integrated real estate firm with experience across all sectors of real estate.

More recently, partners Jared Hutter, Brian Rosen and Nick Steinman have placed a concentrated focus on student housing. Aptitude has been consistently delivering significant returns to its investors through an ornate ability to find and create value in land identification and acquisitions, the design and approvals process, and ultimately construction management. Upon completion, this project will include 287 student beds and 20,000 square feet of the best retail in the market, making it an ideal location for Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza that will draw in students, families, and alumni, and help the business thrive.

Blaze Pizza is a modern day “pizza joint” that has been inspiring excitement and cultivating fanatics for its custom-built artisanal pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s’more pies since it opened its first location in 2012.  Each restaurant features an interactive open-kitchen format that allows guests to customize one of the menu’s signature pizzas or create their own, choosing from a wide selection of carefully sourced, high-quality ingredientsall for around $8. 

The generously-sized 11” pizzas are then sent to a blazing hot open-flame oven

—the centerpiece of the restaurant —where dedicated pizzasmiths ensure that the thin-crust pies are fast-fire’d and ready to eat in just 180 seconds. Each restaurant makes its own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by critically-acclaimed Executive Chef Bradford Kent (the “Pizza Whisperer”), which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust. 

For pizza fans with specific dietary needs, Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese. The Syracuse restaurant will also feature a selection of wine and draft beer.
To create the perfect vibe inside the Syracuse restaurant, award-winning design architect Ana Henton has added several unique, modern touches, including an oversized wall graphic custom-built to suit the space.  Additionally, in support of the company’s commitment to “Intelligent Choices for Our Pizzas, People & Planet”, the Paso Robles restaurant will use both recycled and sustainable materials and energy-efficient LED lighting, and will feature eco-friendly, compostable packaging.

“At Blaze, we’re all about creating an engaging dining experience where guests can enjoy artisanal pizza that’s both fast and affordable,” says Jim Mizes, president & CEO of Blaze Pizza. “The authenticity of our food, plus a service culture that genuinely focuses on the happiness of our guests and crew

—have been key to our popularity and expansion.

The newest Blaze restaurant is looking forward to continuing to build strong roots within the community, offering a spot where guests can connect, create and enjoy. To that end, the restaurant promotes a turnkey fundraiser program that returns 20 percent of an event’s proceeds back to the organization, helping schools, sports clubs and other local groups “cause a scene for a good cause.”