Pizza Verde
Potato Leek Pizza
When Jennifer and Landon Cabarubio decided to go vegan about two years ago, one of the foods they missed the most was pizza.
Sadly, at the time, a good vegan pizza wasn't easy to find. So, naturally, they decided to make their own. Crafting their own dough and almond-based mozzarella cheese, the couple decided to share their pies with the city, launching Pizza Verde as a pop-up event at The Usual.
Now, their plant-based pizza shop is getting a more permanent locale — a restaurant that was once a pop-up itself, Black Cat Pizza.
"Stir Crazy [Baked Goods, where Black Cat Pizza first began serving] was such a great partnership and resource for us getting started when we were at the point where Landon and Jennifer are right now," Black Cat Pizza owner Jaime Fernandez says. "We definitely really wanted to do that for someone else."
Pizza Verde will take over the South Main restaurant's space on Mondays (when Black Cat is closed), utilizing the kitchen and serving pies to-go while the COVID-19 pandemic keeps the dining room closed.
The pop-up currently has three offerings: a Margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil), potato leek (olive oil and garlic base, mozzarella, potato, leek, rosemary, and lemon aoli), and the Verde (tomato sauce, mozzarella, cilantro, corn, chorizo, and lime crema).
Though the menu is entirely plant-based, the Cabarubios say Pizza Verde isn't exclusively for those with vegan lifestyles. Landon says he hopes their restaurant can simply "make a really good pizza that happens to be plant-based."
"And people that are interested in exploring it can have an option that's welcoming and not too scary," Jennifer says.
As far as Pizza Verde competing with Black Cat — Fernandez says he isn't worried about it.
"We're both doing pizza, but it's different enough," he says. "If we can help them out and get their business started at the same time, why not? It's our way of being a good neighbor."
Pizza Verde will serve out of Black Cat Pizza every Monday starting May 18 from noon until sellout.
