How I'm opening the world's best pizzeria

[@doughboy8079]

I owned 8 pizzerias in NY, NJ, and CT before I sold them to my nephew and retired in 2022 (yes, I'm an old man). We tried all the fad pizza styles in our stores over the years, but what customers wanted was consistency and quality (and to say hello to me and my late wife). I suggest making your own Cleveland-style pizza and put yourself on the map... Good luck, kid! rooting for you!

[@mattm3729]

Where were they in NY?

[@dangshnizzle6929]

Dough boy. Hell yeah

[@yitziyyb]

Need to hear your words of wisdom what makes a good pizza. Sauce, cheese, dough...

[@you.got.gapped.racing44]

My condolences go out to your wife and may god will you to live long.

[@atrium12]

NY, NJ and CT? You are the pizza man!

[@LifebyMikeG]

this is sick dude and seems like a very aligned next venture for you. good luck getting things up and running! can't wait to try the pizza.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thanks Mike, I appreciate that! Hope you can make it in some day.

[@ramencurry6672]

Not sick. It’s healthy passion

[@clr977]

Thanks to Charlie and Brian Lagerstrom I’ve been making my own pizzas and bread for over two years now. Always have dough, frozen and fresh, ready to go. I make east coast pizza, Detroit style, and Neapolitan pizza. Baguettes, rustic loafs and a bunch of other stuff. I moved to the middle of nowhere Pa from Philadelphia. There is NO PIZZA here, not worth it pizza anyway, and definitely hard to find a good bakery. I have to drive an hour just to get anything that isn’t diner food or fast food. My wife, kids and I only REALLY craved one thing. Good pizza and bread! Thank you Charlie for the work you do.

[@dpelpal]

After making pizza at home for 15 years, I actually think frozen dough is better than fresh🤷🏼‍♀️

[@MRSketch09]

@@dpelpal That's interesting! I wonder if frozen dough affects the way the finished fermentation works or something? like it alters it just a bit somehow?

[@dpelpal]

@@MRSketch09 Well, cold fermentation always improves dough. The times that I have cold fermented dough, then frozen it....those always seem to make the best pizzas. I really have no clue why!

[@mickmack3759]

Best of luck Charlie! Your channel inspired me to start making my own pizza and it's been such a rewarding experience. Not only am I making better pizza than my locals shops, its so much cheaper too!

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

That's great to hear, I'm glad I could help!

[@eddiebirch2067]

Charlie how can I contact you directly ?

[@MCSkiure]

good luck man, you are an american pizzaiolo... your passion is the key to your success

[@OlNoName720]

Owning a restaurant is no different then running a business. This is a huge step forward in your pizza making journey and I wish you the best of luck!

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you!!

[@Sleezy.Design]

It's very inspirational to watch you grow with every single video you upload. You're so dedicated, you deserve nothing but success! Thank you for sharing your entire experience! One thing I'd like to know though, I think I've never heard you talk about sourdough or a madre (Italian sour dough), is there a reason why you don't use it? I use sourdough in everything, I think it gives everything a nice depth of flavor. You could grow a sourdough culture and keep the same one for your entire career and even hand it down to your kids one day. That's what many traditional bakers are doing too. Much love from Germany!

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you, I really appreciate that! I do like baking sourdough bread but generally I don't use it in my videos (or my pizza currently) in order to keep things simple. I agree it adds a nice flavor, but I just don't want to overcomplicate things haha.

[@ChefChrisDay]

Hell yeah bro! I knew it was only a matter of time. This keeps me inspired to perhaps someday do something similar once my kid is older. I'm 41 but have ALWAYS been passionate just as you are about quality and excellent service and constant improvement. Donation en route and if I'm ever in Cleveland/Columbus I'll stop by for sure!

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Yeah I figured now is the time to do it before I have kids of my own. That would be great if you could make it in sometime!

[@wolf-yw9wk]

best advice i can give as someone who’s owned multiple food businesses, you will need to learn to compromise and find a sweet spot of what is not perfect but is still great. other people wont be you and they will not take the same same intensity towards YOUR business. its your business not theirs, they may care and go an extra few steps but losing sleep over them going the extra mile you feel like you would go will drive you crazy. all the extra time you think you will have to do videos i would probably gather will take you about a year to really find a way to get your time back once you get humming. its one thing to be really into something and think you are obsessed with it when you can work at your own pace, its another to wake up on days you dont want to do it but you know doors open at 11am and push through it. passion is great but you can’t run a business on passion or obsession you eventually burn out as it’s hard to sustain that mentality. find a good team, dont expect them to be you or have the same intensity as you, prepare to have days you hate pizza regardless of how popular your spot may become, prepare for less videos to be made unless you’re planning on having someone follow you around the space filming, most likely you will be dealing with no call no shows and need to jump in to stop the machine you are creating from faultering. its a lot of dishes.

[@louisleoncini1033]

AS someone who has been there you are 1000% right. But i wish him all the LUCK .

[@wolf-yw9wk]

@@louisleoncini1033 yep definitely. i wish someone told me this when i was younger. everything i listed were all things i lost sleep over. it took a long time to come to terms w it. haha. you have all these ideas that you think can be great, then you hire people and realize personalities and managing those are really the biggest hurdles you face as a business owner. the cooking is the easiest part.

[@zay-lias]

Watching you grow and leaning how to make pizzas along side you… I’m so excited for you to finally open your own shop after all this time!! Much love Charlie!! Can’t wait to try a slice!!!

[@PicSta]

All the best that your dreams come true. I make and experiment with pizza since over 20 years by now. Pizza is and always has been my favorite type of food. Even it's same, it's different and different pizza styles can create surprises for us. Working on the "best possible" dough and techniques is what makes it fun.

[@drew-alexander]

ok ok ok you might have just convinced me to take a weekend trip to Cleveland

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

You should do it!

[@nasushcur]

SAME!

[@railasvuo]

Congratulations. Hard work is rewarded. It has been amazing to watch your progress and passion for pizza. I would definitely visit, but I live in Finland

[@JessyWilliamson]

Add Good Pizza t-shirts to the kickstarter as a reward. I'll never make it to Cleveland but I love your videos. Best of luck!!!

[@preilly78]

Agree shirts ! Keep it up love the channel and your quality looks next level

[@jofisher3643]

This is so awesome dude fr!!! I wish you best of luck, I remember when you started making your own NY Pizza recipe and the fact your opening a pizzeria now is incredible!

[@DuvalAF]

Congratulations and the Best of Luck to you Charlie.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you!

[@foxfire1112]

Pretty crazy evolution of this channel and person, very cool. Can't say it enough but good luck man

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you, I really appreciate it!!

[@Nurofaen]

I hope this works out for you man, been following you for quite some time now and much like yourself I became obsessed with Pizza (mine began in lockdown, where as a chef I had never really tackled baking, so went into bread and soon into pizza). After a few years of practice I have my own recipe dialled in and it's a family favourite so I know exactly what you mean about that fulfilment you get from seeing people enjoy your creation, it's unmatched. If I was in Ohio I would love to pursue your dream with you, alas I'm in England, so much love from across the pond and keep pushing to achieve everything my man!

[@topfuelfan]

It's pretty amazing what hard work and dedication you have. You've taken the "Obsessed with Pizza" to the ultimate level and your a great example. Wishing you the best and great to see your on your way. Excellent idea. This is the best resource for tips and tricks for pizza bugs.

[@trevornies2989]

Congrats man! The passion you have not only for pizza, but for striving to provide excellent service with top-quality products will see you succeed in your continuing pizza journey. Looks like I'm planning a trip to Cleveland!

[@Madgitty2]

All the best with your venture, really hope it takes off

[@Clive718]

Best of luck with your venture Charlie! I'm in the process of opening a mobile pizza business here in Arizona, and watching your progress has been inspirational. Wishing you nothing but success with the B&M, hopefully I can make it out to Ohio someday!

[@brianphillips1691]

Man, I am rooting for you! been watching you for awhile now and 100% confident you're gonna kill it! been using your ny dough recipe spreadsheet for at least a year every time i make dough for pizza night!!

[@Picit-13]

Congrats Charlie!!! You have put a lot of time and hard work in to get where you are!! It is about a 6 hour trip but I will make it up there to support you!!!

[@Dina_tankar_mina_ord]

Congratz man! geen following you for quite some time and Its good to see that a real enthusiast gets to do what he loves. God speed!

[@WarChortle]

all the mid pizza shops be like... "oh dang" in Cleveland.

[@you.got.gapped.racing44]

honestly Charlie, your product looks stunning and with the equipment you currently have access to is amazing, notably the spiral mixer, the only thing you need to work on is to build a connection between you, your pizza and the customer, make the place feel more comfortable and definitely build a charismatic personality as this can be a foundation for your brand, I don’t know anything about Cleveland but here in Dubai, as there are possibly hundreds of thousands of different startups and the few that make it to the top Is by establishing brand recognition by identity, like those with interesting products, outstanding customer service, history or charismatic people running the shops, Dubai is the sort of place where something like a coffee shop can make Instagram reels, gather millions of views and have their businesses flooded by customers, this can easily be done in somewhere like Cleveland as i presume it is sufficiently populated and I can assure you that your followers will help this startup grow, good luck on your journey.

[@jetwazny4521]

Born and raised in Cleveland and pizza is also a passion for me however not as extensive as yours. My fathers side of the family lives in Buffalo ny and I can confidently say that when I comes to pizza Cleveland doesn’t even come close to the level of New York pizza and Buffalos stuff is t even from ny city. I’m excited to try your stuff when you officially open. Good luck

[@penjon51]

great news and all the best with your company!

[@paul_j_b]

Congratulations man, learned a huge amount from your channel; one of the realest ever to do it.

[@anikpatel481]

Watching your progression has been really cool! Congrats and good luck. The old citizens pie spot is also fantastic

[@yardburd2000]

Can't wait to visit!

[@Raiden_N7]

Good luck! I love that your pizza obsession has gone from a great series of KZbin videos and into a fully fledged business.

[@justbenwild]

So happy for you! I’m coming just to see you.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you, that would be awesome!

[@justbenwild]

@@CharlieAndersonCooking I’ll show you this comment. I’ll order a whole pie to support too!

[@Exercise4CheatMeals]

Congrats brother. Can't wait to try it!

[@gooseislooser]

I am not from cleveland, and I cannot stress enough how bad I want to eat your pizza through the screen. Happy for you, I can already tell it will be a huge success!

[@chrisbullock6401]

Id for sure buy some merch to support. I love pizzas and making them! GOOD LUCK

[@bos6782]

Best of luck Charlie, if you put love into it they will come.

[@DJ-nn6vg]

The trick to make any pizza place successful these days is to go very high quality and don’t compete on price. Every item on your menu must be the best that you can make so this means keep your menu small. The next challenge is to find a staff that would never serve a customer a bad pizza even when you aren’t there. Also remember whatever is in your budget to open - double that and however many days you think you it will take you to break even - double that. When you have that amount of cash you are now ready to open.

[@Cornstalker7273]

AMEN! That space and equipment you just purchased was once owned by someone trying to do the same thing you are wanting to do...

[@johnc329]

Looks like there might finally be a reason to visit Cleveland

[@j_merlotte5467]

Started watching you a while ago as I went down the love of pizza wormhole since I got an ooni a couple years ago. I regularly reference your detroit pizza recipe (as a nice alternative to more neopolitan pies in my gozney)... Only relatively recently did I realize you're in Cleveland... and now you're opening a spot! I'm in Columbus and can't wait to visit. Your attention to detail, and continuous improvement is surely going to make the spot a huge success!

[@solo022667]

Bro, your passion for pizza is incredible. I am seeing mirror image of my self. I am at other side of the Coast ,but wish u the best and hope to visit your store and try one for my self. Keep at it !

[@TheGreenAdmiral]

In the modern landscape of restaurateurs, you are truly a rare breed Charlie. You are a literal pizza scientist who is more dedicated to perfection than 99% of chefs out there. Super proud of this new endeavor and I wish you all the best! Thank you for your amazing recipes that have allowed me to craft delicious pizza and share the joy of food with the people I love.

[@whaxmusic305]

This is such smart marketing - I'm so invested in your story and how much effort you put in, that I'm literally contemplating a trip out to Cleveland just to try it.

[@Giovanson]

Good luck brother! I’ve been following you for a while. You definitely helped take my homemade pizza game to the next level.

[@everythingautomotiveeta5839]

Best of luck Charlie! You will be very successful behind the best pizza made!

[@bekidox]

Having watched your pizza videos for so long now i cant imagine your pizza wont be amazing. If i ever have a reason to visit ohio this is definately a stop id make.

[@MRSketch09]

I wish you the best of luck! Also, just a suggestion, if you wanted to go the more "cheaper route"... on initial expenses... if you could set up shop next to a truck stop or something like that, on the outskirts of the city... Anyways, wish you success!

[@ahallock]

Dude, this is wild. Had no idea you were in Cleveland. As a former New Yorker who's been in CLE for a while now, the food scene here is amazing--except for the pizza. There are a few decent spots like Il Rione and Uciuni's, but nothing truly authentic. I always thought bringing real NY-style pizza to Cleveland was a great business opportunity. Definitely supporting this project!

[@Turtlpwr]

As the son of an Italian immigrant that grew up in my family’s NY style pizza shop, if I lived in your area I would come work in your shop in a heartbeat; also, work there forever.

[@ברטופליאן]

Congrats! The world needs more pizza-driven pizzerias.

[@Cornstalker7273]

I have two 16 inch NY style dough balls in the fridge fermenting now. Will make my first white pizza tomorrow. I will add some freshly grated nutmeg to Charlie's sauce recipe, some lemon zest, and fresh spearmint. I will also add chicken stock, in addition to the cream for more umami taste. I will be topping the pizza with mozzerella and muenster cheeses, cooked peaches, fresh apples chunks, caramalized onions, bacon crumbles and fresh spearmint leaves. After it comes off the grill, I will drizzle with hot chili honey and a few dollops of a mescarpone and pecorino herb mix.

[@manxology]

Charlie, I hope I eat at your pizzeria some day. I am an old, poor man with an old, worn-out car. But, I would try to road-trip to do so. You are a stud and earned it. Keep pushing! Nonetheless... thanks.

[@olddough2437]

Congrats on the opening! The first thing I’m actually wondering as a small business owner is the financials & funding. We’ve been struggling to open a brick and mortar due to high costs unavailable sba loans, high rents, ingredient costs etc.. It would be super helpful to do a deep dive on the logistics behind the scenes for other struggling businesses owners. How you secured funding, permitting, lease negotiations, etc.

[@jsb08001]

Congrats, best of luck buddy!

[@jbrio77]

Congratulations! Your pizzas look great! All the best!

[@theo9976]

Congratulations, Charlie on opening your own pizza shop! So exciting! But remember, consistency is the key to success.

[@Cornstalker7273]

So true. Our local Johnny Bruscos, who had fair pizza, changed some things and now the pizza is not worth the price. They changed the dough, the cheese and the sauce. We will never go back

[@jselectronics8215]

A slightly crunchy pillow. That's the kind of crust I want. From center to edge. It probably means par baking the bare crust. But that slows down production, so it might be just a made at home thing.

[@bruschi8148]

Love the passion!!! Think you will do great things

[@joedodson4062]

This is awesome, congrats, man! I didn't realize you're in Cleveland. I just donated and am hoping to come to the soft opening in January. And we're planning to come to the pop up tomorrow if it's still happening. See ya then

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Awesome I really appreciate it! Hope to see you there. And yes the pop up tomorrow is still happening! 2-8PM at Bookhouse.

[@ThomasFrost]

Awesome. Good luck, you derserve it.

[@Dc-luxury-motors]

Can’t wait to try real New York style pizza.definitely needed here in Cleveland

[@Liaframmm]

I don't know that I'll ever visit Ohio again unless things there change drastically, but if I ever do, I'm checking out your shop.

[@jeffliles5217]

True food lover-creator. Dude, I am driving up to Cleveland just for this pizza. I mean, not today exactly, but eventually I will.

[@rubenrodriguez2590]

CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW SHOP... That is great news... :) Love your channel and I can't wait to try your pizza.

[@ruftime]

Congrats Charlie!

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you!

[@creez1]

I managed a mom and pop pizzeria in the Detroit area. The owner was Italian and made round and Detroit style square. Really good pizza. You have done the research, the testing, you have the passion!! You're going to be very successful. And never use a conveyer oven (like Middleby-Marrshals). They do not cook the pizza the same. Bakers Pride and Bloggetts are great! Best of luck to you!!

[@Youngsta0]

Would definitely make a trip down there from Canada when the opportunity aligns

[@neilrischl9569]

Dude let's Go! Looking forward to visiting your pizza shop 🍕 🔥

[@archimedes131]

Good luck, Charlie! ...I didn't know you were in Cleveland. I used to live there and there are two pizza joints you need to check out...Athens Pizza in Cleveland (especially the sheet pizza) and Piccolo's in Elyria (the seafood pizza change my life!).

[@Nedmarx]

I was in Cleveland last month! Wish you were open then. The pizza we had was pretty meh. It was near the baseball stadium. Ohwell maybe next time!

[@themasalaman]

best of luck, Charlie! Rooting from you here in cincy. I'm sure you're exploring some alternate ways of financing, but would love to see more in depth videos on that side, raising capital, and challenges.

[@Leonardo_micillo]

Good luck man you will kill it there

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thanks Leo!!

[@freeflavor6356]

Thanks Charlie love it! We are in the process of doing the same thing in our city. Pizza scene sucks here too.

[@stevezera]

Best day ever opening my restaurant. Best day ever selling my restaurant

[@adamvanburen]

watching for a long time. Good luck!

[@sheriffjohnbird3179]

Good luck dude! I've gotten some nice tips off your videos so thanks for that.

[@ctt4811]

Awesome news! I’ve been subbed for a long time. Hope you kill it with the new shop!

[@L6Jeremy]

Cincinnati here. will definitely have to make the drive up!

[@jamesmochan8576]

Putting your money where your mouth is. Big respect. The restaurant game is hard and only the best survive. I wish you all the best of luck but I'm sure you'll make a success of things.

[@MrThephonypope]

Congrats! I'll definitely try it if I'm in that town, hope it takes off For anyone living in Cleveland who likes the pizza, the $50 tier seems like a no-brainer Who were your biggest influences when you were first zeroing in on your "perfect pizza"?

[@DKTD23]

We knew you would! Congrats

[@mathew00]

So happy for you!!!!

[@daviddaugherty1861]

Thats a pretty good location, hope you got a good deal on the lease. Best of luck!

[@Romafood]

Great choice! 👏👏 we love pizza

[@cheetaking243]

/has been watching this series since the very first NY pizza experiments, and if this really happens I would totally take a day drive over from Toledo! Best of luck, hope this works out!

[@temotey1115]

Its nice that you offer rewards for financial backing.

[@KodokuCrow]

Help this guy out he put out great content!

[@cscarpulla1]

Congratulations, Charlie! I have family in Cleveland that I visit often, and look forward to your opening. Can you share the address of the shop?

[@3nunsbrewing640]

Good luck mate. Hope you smash it.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you!

[@Navarre-i1j]

Would love to know your schedule at Bookhouse, I'll get there as soon as I can to sample!

[@stenquists1]

My first thought was "The Violin Society of America seems to choose Cleveland pretty often as the location for their conventions! I'll have a restaurant to look forward to next time I go!" Did not expect the violin metaphor. Lol

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

😂

[@omarveytia9613]

Hell yea!

[@richardcoughlin8931]

Charlie, you should move to Palm Springs California. There’s literally no good pizza in the entire Coachella Valley. I end up buying Costco Pizza because it’s cheap and it’s edible but I really miss good pizza. I am particularly a fan of New York style. There’s a huge market here for someone who could make good pizza.

[@nickystewart]

I didn't even realize you were from Cleveland. This is incredible!!

[@The-Day-Off]

Live 2 hours from Cleveland so imma be going here

[@kevinwiggins140]

Cannot wait to come here!

[@thesmuuuuggh]

sweet man, coming from canada when you're ready!

[@cignet]

HELL YEAH MAN!!! I'm super happy for you! :D Let me know if you want to bring your pizza up to Vancouver Canada :)

[@haydenjones1988]

If im ever in Cleveland I know exaclty where to go 💯