Beer and pizza are the perfect mix, so it makes sense that local pizza makers Simply Pizza found a way to make a brewery their home.
Simply Pizza and Something Brewery celebrating their ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 1, opening a dedicated portable pizza kitchen located right outside – in the parking lot.
"We came up with an idea of designing and building hybrid container kitchens, the mobile units that can be dropped off on locations but are still readily moveable and self-contained," Simply Pizza owner Melinda Carbajal said. "We have parked at a few locations already; the Westy food truck park, and Jurassic World Exhibit."
Simply Pizza has been in business since 2015 by previous owners, and the Carbajal family – Melinda and husband Armando and her sister Mary Littler – purchased it in October 2019.
"We all had different careers, and hired Simply Pizza to cater for events and I fell in love with the Pizza and its concept. The family who built it offered it to me and I got my family onboard," Melinda Carbajal said.
The Carbajals served their pizza from food trucks around town from the beginning. COVID gave the small crew the time to learn new things about her business.
Ultimately, it led them to build a pizza kitchen out of a shipping container that they parked outside on the back patio of Something Brewery, 117 North Main St.
The container unit plugs into an outlet; flip up the door and pass out the menus and people can start ordering.
"We are excited, it's easy to have them here," said Something Brewery co-owner David Allegrezza, "It's nice because we don't have to deal with anything on the business aspect to have a kitchen such as licensing, staff, overhead, electricity, build it out and have the space. It just turns into a whole ordeal."
"It has been great so far since they have been here for six months. Our numbers have been increasing daily, not only for them but for the community and us, " Allegrezza said.
"We are very excited. I've lived in the area for over 19 years, so it's fun to have our business here," Littler said.
"It has been the perfect pairing! Our families live in Brighton, our kids attend school here, and we are active community members. The spot was excellent, and it has been nothing but fantastic," Carbajal said. "We are looking forward to summer nights on the patio at Something."
The pizza menu will be rotating monthly, so people can try various styles and pizza recipes.
"We also will be doing date night pairings, pizza classes, and hopefully hosting many private events throughout the summer," Carbajal said.
"They have been around for a little while, and now they have more of a semi-permanent presence here, and they can still operate their food truck in other areas. So, it's good for them. They are a local business and a community member. It's good to support them," Brighton Mayor Greg Mills said.
Carbajal said the company will continue sending their food truck to local events. More changes are coming, she said.
"In terms of our business, something big is on the horizon," she said. "So hopefully, we will be able to share that news in the near future! For now, you can catch our truck at select festivals & fairs or have us cater your wedding or next big event."
