INGOOD TASTE
Jim Hochendoner , Owner Crust Café & Pizzeria
Candid conversations with the dining scene ’ s most engaging chefs
Crust Café & Pizzeria 509 Painters Run Road , Upper St . Clair , 412.564.5748 ; crustcafeandpizzeria . com
On the Menu : Classic hand-tossed pizza including Sicilian style , plus gluten-free or cauliflower crust options , available as Baked or Taken-Bake . Signature Pizzas are featured as well , such as the best-selling The Mediterranean , the Meatball Supreme Pizza , Philly Cheese Steak Pizza and the Balboa Pizza , which pays tribute to fictional boxer Rocky Balboa ’ s workout in a meat packing plant . It comes with pepperoni , hot sausage , sweet sausage , ham , bacon , provolone and house red sauce . There are Calzones and Wedges , including the Steak Calzone or Wedgie , Italian Calzone or Wedgie , and the Veggie Calzone or Wedgie . Oven Baked Sandwiches are made with Mancini ’ s Italian bread , such as the Cheese Steak with shaved ribeye and extra provolone cheese , lettuce , tomato , onion and house dressing .
Why did you become an owner and chef ? When I was a teen , my brother
Bob opened a pizza shop in Carrick and it ’ s then that I developed my passion for pizza . That ’ s where I learned how to handle dough . I took pride in what my pizza looked like . He was kind of my guiding light to becoming an entrepreneur . He also owned Margaritaville in the 1990s and I was the GM for 10 years until he sold it in 1999 . Shortly thereafter , he and I opened Jameson ’ s at the bottom of Bates Street in Oakland . We got off to a rough start , so I never thought I ’ d open another place . Jameson ’ s was the “ worst ” thing that ever happened to me and the “ best ” thing that ever happened to me , because sometimes you have to fail before you succeed .
Who has influenced your cooking the most ? I ’ m self-taught , but after the Jameson ’ s experience , I was hired by a local real estate developer from New York City to open Hot Tops Pizza in the Monroeville area . He hired a consultant named Big Dave Ostrander who I had the privilege to work with for three months . He taught me the dough recipe and how to be prepared to do a lot of business and stay consistent . I try to live by his consistency motto .
What ’ s your best advice for a novice ? Keep your ingredients fresh and simple and
Jim Hochendoner and Boo Sowers , Owners of Crust Café & Pizzeria .
don ’ t try to skimp . Also , you ’ d better love it — I know I do . I ’ ve worked over 70 hours a week for the past eight years . It ’ s not an absentee owner business . I ’ ve always tried to run my business and not work it . It ’ s been a blessing .
Other than your restaurant , where ’ s your favorite place to eat in Pittsburgh ? We love going to the Carlton , downtown . We also love Dee Jay ’ s Ribs in Weirton , WV . It takes 40 minutes to get there , but it ’ s worth it .
How has COVID-19 affected your business ? We received a PPP loan . We closed for the month of April , even though we were allowed to stay open . We took advantage of the down time to remodel and update the restaurant . The PPP loan helped me get my employees back to work who were on unemployment .
What tool can ’ t you live without ? A sharp chef ’ s knife . But , also social media . I ’ m getting better at that stuff . It really helps promote the business and we get such a great response .
What ’ s a quick meal you prepare at home ? We love tomatoes for sauce , or just in oil and vinegar .
What ’ s your favorite go-to ingredient ? Garlic . I want to put garlic in everything .
What ’ s the next big food or dining trend ? Our Take-n-Bakes are made with raw dough ( not pre-baked crust ) and placed on special coated parchment paper for baking at home . We are the only pizzeria in the surrounding area that offers raw Take-n-Bake pizza .
We started the first Take-n-Bake Pizza delivery service in September . Take-n-Bake empowers our customers to have a hot and crispy pizza when they want it . n
— Reese Randall
Take-n-Bake Pizza
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