BUILD Pizzeria opened for dinner after a small kitchen fire the week before. The assistant manager, who was at the restaurant finishing paperwork at the time, smelled the smoke and came out of the office to see that a plastic dish rack had been left on the stove. Although no one was injured in the fire, the restaurant was closed to repair and regroup. Jonatan Martinez, the general manager, said the reopening on Friday night, Aug. 1, was successful.
BUILD was conceived by owners Lisa Holt and David Shapiro, who wanted to create a pizza restaurant that had an authentic, but relaxed atmosphere, as they had experienced in Italy. They designed the restaurant with an emphasis on minimalism, bold color choices and packaging and mural-sized black-and-white photographs.
Set in an ideal location in the heart of downtown Berkeley and close to the University of California, Berkeley’s campus, BUILD has a diverse crowd. Martinez said, “In true Berkeley fashion, a lot of everything.”
Due to the number of pizza places in Berkeley each restaurant must have a unique aspect that sets it apart from others.
“I don’t think there’s anyone doing the kind of pizza we’re doing,” said Martinez. “For us, we’re our own biggest competitors.” As the name suggests, the restaurant allows its customers to “build” pizzas and main dishes. They can choose from among 42 toppings, seven types of cheese, six sauces and two different crusts. Sous chef Jonathan Popenuck said he once tried to figure out how many different combinations people could create, but gave up.
In the future, BUILD staffers hope to open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. In terms of the menu, Popenuck said, “I would like to see more seasonal dishes and a more malleable menu.”