Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, the fast-casual artisanal pizza concept known for its chef-driven menu and casually hip restaurants, announced that it will open its first Boston location which is its second Massachusetts location, near Fenway Park, September 29. To celebrate the grand opening, the restaurant will offer free build-your-own artisanal pizzas on September 29 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. to anyone who follows Blaze Pizza on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. The highly anticipated restaurant, which features a 2,600-square-foot interior with seating for 54, and an additional 44 seats on an exterior patio, is located in The Viridian luxury apartments (1282 Boylston St), across the street from Yawkey Way. Blaze opened their first Massachusetts location in Cambridge in June, and is located at 1 Canal Park, between Lechmere Station and Cambridgeside Galleria. Another Boston location will open this fall in City Place (123 Stuart St), near Boston Common and Emerson college.

"Boston and Blaze have been a winning combination from day one," says Tom Werner, Blaze investor and Red Sox co-owner. "I'm excited for a second location to open near Fenway Park and give Red Sox fans even more to cheer about."

Blaze Pizza is a modern day "pizza joint" serving up artisanal pizzas that are both fast and affordable. Since its first restaurant debuted in 2012, Blaze has quickly become one of the nation's hottest restaurant concepts, with fans lining up each day for the custom-built pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s'more pies. 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 fresh, artisanal ingredients—all for about $8. The generously sized personal 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. Restaurants make their own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by critically acclaimed Executive Chef Bradford Kent, which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust. Almost all of the pizza and salad ingredients are free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and fillers and for pizza fans with specific dietary needs, Blaze Pizza offers gluten-free dough and vegan cheese.

"Our mission at Blaze is really simple—we're taking pizza back to its roots," says Jim Mizes, presidentand COO of Blaze Pizza. "By making dough in-house, carefully sourcing ingredients, and cooking by fire, we're giving guests a great way to enjoy artisanal pizza without the wait. It's changing the way people think about and eat pizza."

Blaze's obsessive attention to detail extends well beyond the food, with a carefully considered, modern approach to restaurant design. Driven by its commitment to "Intelligent Choices for Our Pizzas, People & Planet," the restaurant is constructed with recycled and sustainable materials, uses eco-friendly packaging, and features energy-efficient LED lighting. Additionally, many of the restaurant's unconventional design elements were inspired by the company's celebration of individual expression.

Blaze Pizza is looking forward to continuing to build strong roots within the community. To that end, the company has developed a turn-key in-restaurant fundraiser program that returns 20 percent of an event's proceeds back to local organizations, and will be partnering with local schools, sports clubs and other organizations to host fundraising events at the new restaurant.

The Massachusetts locations are locally owned and operated by BGR Hospitality, a franchise group developing Blaze Pizza in the state.

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