Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
In 2008, two former pastry chefs decided to approach pizza dough like they were research scientists. After a year of experimenting, they developed what they called a neo-Neapolitan pizza, then opened Peel Wood Fired Pizza (921 S. Arbor Vitae, Ste. 101, Edwardsville, Ill., 618-659-8561). Later this fall, Patrick Thirion and Brandon Case will open a long-awaited second location in O’Fallon, Illinois, hedging their bet by adding a small craft brewery. Rife with anticipation, we had to repeat the oft-asked question: “Will you please open a place in St. Louis?”
How did you two meet?
BC: Patrick hired me as a pastry chef at The Adam’s Mark. After two weeks, I made the mistake of asking if they had a 24-hour pastry department. Next thing I knew, he had me reporting for work at 11 p.m.
I remember Patrick from The Coronado in midtown.
PT: I went there just before the Adam’s Mark sold.
BC: And I went to Iraq for 15 months, working as a cook, bodyguard, driver. I went on humanitarian missions…
PT: And I hired him when he came back. We had the same work ethic. We were good at what we did and made sure we got it perfect. Our friendship developed from that work relationship.
I remember your elaborate Easter buffets at The Coronado.
PT: Brandon and I would work for 36 hours straight on those holiday buffets. It was during one of those stints when we decided to do something together.
BC: We came up with Peel, a concept that was inexpensive, universally appealing, and utilized our baking skills and ability to match flavors.
PT: Doing research, we discovered that even in California, there wasn’t a lot of good, wood-fired pizza—it was either too Neapolitan or too random, with pizzas being topped with anything and everything.
Did you consider any other restaurant concepts?
PT: We considered doing an upscale pastry shop, but this was 2008. During a downturn, pizza makes a lot more sense.
What makes Peel’s pizza different?
PT: To be honest, we found flaws in the certified Neapolitan pizza style. It took us more than a year to develop and test our style of crust.
BC: For instance, we decided not to use traditional Neapolitan 00 flour. It didn’t work for the style of pizza we were after.
Describe the crust.
PT: I call it neo-Neapolitan, but it’s even more hybrid than that. One customer described it as “a crust you think you might not like that you really end up liking.”
That style of pizza is known for minimal sauce and judicious toppings.
PT: We try to educate the customer that too many toppings ruin this type of pizza, but we don’t want to bully them. We don’t want to reinvent the customer.
How did the ancillary food items, like salads, figure into the mix?
PT: We really underestimated that. At least every other person orders a salad.
BC: And then there are people who order a sandwich, salad, a soup, wings…and never touch the pizza. What we thought would be amenities became main attractions.
How often do you change the menu?
PT: Twice a year. It’s never easy taking off favorites and big sellers, but as chefs, we feel obligated to change things up, at least a little bit. There are so many possibilities in our heads, we could change that menu twice a week.
You have a theory about exactly when to eat a pizza.
BC: Every pizza—especially ours—is best right out of the oven. That’s why we have a dine-in–only, no–call-in, no-carryout policy. We’re not brazen about it. You can sit at the bar and order whatever you want to go. We just didn’t want someone’s first experience with our pizza to be less than optimal.
Some say pizza is a pickup and delivery business.
BC: There are pizza places out there for that, but that’s not us. We wanted to create a full-service restaurant and all that entails—from first dates to proposals and anniversaries—and we get all that. We’re not a $5 pizza, or a drive-through or delivery experience.
What about coupons?
PT: We never set up our business plan—or priced our pizzas—so we could discount them. You can’t do a scratch menu or offer cured meats and fresh herbs, and do that. Or you’d have to limit the staff; we have 60 employees in our little restaurant, but we couldn’t if we couponed. We’d rather give away free gift cards to come in and try our restaurant—which we do—rather than discount our food.
Which pizzas are the most popular?
BC: Half of the specialty pizzas—the buffalo chicken, for sure. But even with all that we have to offer, we sell a lot of basic pepperoni pizza—that’s what people are used to and what they like.
PT: We now cure and smoke our own bacon, and the quality shows. That’s becoming popular, too.
Was there a pizza that didn’t work?
PT: One with fromage blanc cheese, pistachios, coppa ham, red-currant marmalade, and no sauce—just an olive-oil base. Many customers loved it, but for most, it was too far outside the realm. It should have been a special, not a menu item.
Is there a pizza that took off, despite your reservations?
BC: The maple bourbon pork… Patrick thought I was nuts, but some weeks it outsells pepperoni.
Does Provel cheese ever enter the menu mix?
PT: [He smiles.] No. What is Provel cheese?
Is the new location as attractive as the one in Edwardsville?
PT: We’re in a brick building built in 1902—same food, but a totally different look. It’s on two levels, and it’s three times the size of the Edwardsville location, but it’s broken up, so it still feels cozy.
And there’s a big attraction on the second floor.
BC: We’re putting a small brewpub upstairs, another level of passion that we could now develop. That’ll be the biggest addition to the Peel brand, to offer our own beers—four eventually.
PT: But there will be 24 others on tap and a good selection of wine. I don’t like when places force you to drink this or that.
Did the size of the building dictate something other than a pizza place?
BC: It did. It begged the question of what to do with the second floor. Plus, there aren’t any brewpubs in O’Fallon.
I assume you’ll serve pizza up there?
BC: We will, but it’ll be more of a brewpub atmosphere, and serve as a waiting area.
PT: You never know. It may be the more desirable seating area.
Who’s the brewmaster?
PT: Brandon and me. But Peel Wood Fired Pizza comes first—the brewery is an amenity to our food, not the other way around.
Will you distribute your beer anywhere else?
PT: Maybe to our other restaurant. But no, right now, we’ve planned for in-house sales only.
So when will St. Louis get a Peel?
PT: There are no plans right now, and there’s just the two of us.
BC: But look at it this way: O’Fallon is 15 min-utes closer to St. Louis than Edwardsville. It’s practically a suburb.
