BERKELEY, Calif. — From the outside, a goldenrod sign displays the restaurant’s name. On the inside, customers see a modern industrial architectural look. Clear glass and chrome provide a barrier from the countertops at the “Building Department.” Distressed wood tables are surrounded by matching chairs. Black-and-white photographs of students from the 1960s in People’s Park create large urban murals on the walls.
“The idea and concept came from the owners,” said Jonatan Martinez, the general manager, who added the couple, Lisa Holt and David Shapiro, traveled to Italy often and fell in love with the idea of owning a pizzeria based on the country. “Our concept is more casual. We serve gourmet food at an average price,” he said.
The owners collaborated with the head chef to create the menu.”Our focus is on Roman Style pizza,” said Jonathan Popenuck, the sous chef. BUILD has several different sauces and 42 different toppings for their “Build Your Own” pizzas. The chefs stand along the counter and take you through every step of the process. “We like customers to see what they’re getting,” said Popenuck. Customers can also order from the menu.
But the “build” option isn’t limited to the 10-inch pizzas popular with customers. It also can be used with other dishes, too, including entrees, pasta or salads. Some of the toppings include Brie, chicken, pancetta, shrimp, pine nuts, jalapeños, shaved fennel and mushrooms. “Believe it or not, our most popular ingredient is mushrooms,” said Martinez.
BUILD also creates seasonal items for its customers. “We focus on the soups; that’s where we focus on seasonality,” said Popenuck.
“They chose Berkeley in particular because of the history that’s here with food,” said Martinez, citing the growth of the slow-food movement under Alice Waters and Chez Panisse.
Berkeley has a lot of opportunities to stay local, which is something that the owners value. “We try to stay local, and Berkeley is the best town to do it in,” said Popenuck. However, he said that because of the concern of quality standards, not everything is locally sourced; they use San Marzano tomotoes, for example, instead of local ones.
When they created their menu and sourcing, cost was the last factor. “We don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the food for something that would save us a couple dollars,” said Martinez.
BUILD uses social media and other outlets to connect with its customers on a more personal level. Restaurant guests can reserve tables via Open Table, which then texts them when a table is ready. Another way that BUILD connects with their customers is with “Cal Night,” in which students can bring in their student ID and unlock a special, discounted menu.
The reason for the vast array of activities is because of the audience of the restaurant. “We try to pinpoint our audience and there really isn’t one,” said Martinez. He said customers include couples, families or college and high school students. He mentioned the diverse area of Berkeley and how they try to have something for everyone.
As Martinez said, “Our motto is to find your inner pizza, but here, you find your inner self.”