Photo courtesy of Kenn Scott
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have long had a presence at Fort Worth's Black Cat Pizza, through the vegetable-laden (and surprisingly delicious) TMNT, which remains a popular and permanent fixture on the South Main joint's menu.
But on March 7, a real-life Ninja Turtle will be visiting the restaurant for a pop-up event inspired by the iconic franchise.
Black Cat Pizza chef Jaime Fernandez, Tokyo Cafe chef Kevin Martinez, and Kenn Scott — the actor who donned the Raphael suit in the first two "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movies — are teaming up for an event they're calling Food Ninjas.
The trio has whipped up a couple of dishes (and a "secret third dish," Martinez says) that pay homage to the red-masked turtle. The main offering will be the Pizza Raphael, which features chipotle tomato sauce, smoked Spanish chorizo, pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, serrano peppers, chopped almonds, and an anchovy-infused pesto.
"Raphael is kind of the hothead of the crew. Having something kind of spicy, playing in with the ready-to-go attitude of Raphael, would be really fun," Fernandez says. "A little bit of spicy. A little bit of anchovy, salty punch to it. It has that kick-in-the-face type of feeling."
Pizza Raphael at Black Cat Pizza
The second dish is a meatball bao, a nod to the Far East and Raphael's ninja upbringing; and the third is a dry ramen, which Martinez says diners can add atop their pizza if they ask for it.
Turns out, Scott had been a fan of Fernandez's and Martinez's cooking before he even knew them. He loves the ramen at Martinez's Yatai Food Kart and the TMNT at Black Cat Pizza. A mutual friend connected Scott with Martinez, who then connected Scott with Fernandez, and they came up with a wild idea — why not combine powers for a Ninja Turtle-themed pop-up?
So Scott, who himself loves to cook, took to the grocery store, picking up any random ingredients he could find, from chipotle peppers to anchovies. He then met up with Fernandez and Martinez at Black Cat's kitchen, and cowabunga — the menu was born.
"This whole experience of jumping into the kitchen with these guys, the best word I can use is 'joyful,'" Scott says. "We all got there, and it was so easy. I didn't know what I was doing, but Jaime threw me an apron, Kevin put a knife in my hand and goes, 'Here, you're chopping this up' ... it was so much fun."
Food Ninjas will take place at Black Cat Pizza (401 Bryan Ave., Ste. 109) from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., if there's still pizza available. Ninja Turtles movies will also be playing on a screen, and Scott will be on hand for autographs. Pizza will also be available to-go. A ticket is not needed to attend.
As for what happens after that?
"We talked about getting tattoos as soon as it's over," Scott says.
