🕒 9.5 min read

Luke and Brianna Skye Pollard didn’t set out to open an internet-breaking pizzeria amidst a pandemic. It just kind of happened.

How it started

“Pizza Fridays,” were a part of Luke’s upbringing – first ordering in, then his Mom started making her own. Decades later, he continued the homemade pizza tradition with his wife Brianna in their home in Riverdale. The couple, who met on the west coast and reconnected in Toronto a decade later, would invite friends over for a weekly get together dubbed “One Night Only Pizza”. Over the years, the gatherings increased, as did their pizza obsession.

When the pandemic hit, the Pollards bought pizza boxes so friends and neighbours could still get the goods safely distanced on the back porch. By April 2020, word had seriously spread – IRL but especially online  - they were receiving ”thousands of requests” for their buzzy pies through the Instagram profile they started casually the year before. The secret pizzeria was blowing up, but you had to be in the know to know. (Note: You still do.)  It was clear the couple was not only onto something; they had to find a better solution than their own kitchen.

“We were looking for a pop up location, and the owners of Casa Tamayo Pizza and Variety are neighbours of ours,” Luke says. After mentioning the need for a temporary spot to owner Leticia Tamayo-Diaz, she “had a bit of an epiphany. “It was a convenience store and pizza place, and she was working outrageous hours and kind of burned out,” he says. “She asked if we wanted to take over the space.” They got the keys December 1 2020 and have “slowing been working on it” ever since.

How it’s going

Just a little over a year later, production has moved from the couple’s home oven to a permanent pizzeria in the east end at the corner of Pape and Wroxeter.

The interior has been completely renovated, with changes still to come: a new oven and mixer are on the way, signage, and other tweaks and upgrades.

In the meantime, Luke still hand mixes everything and does all the prep. He says, “On Fridays, it’s just me, with someone at the door; Saturdays, someone gives me a hand. Currently I’m making 30-40 pizzas per night, 70-80 pies on weekends,” as the ancient oven does just two pizzas at a time, and is” like an old barbecue. It has hot spots. Every oven has its quirks, uneven heating,” he continues. The new Blodgett 60″ single deck natural gas pizza oven will allow him to not only make four pizzas at a time within the ordering windows, but increase the numbers of pizzas and nights.

While he may sound like an industry vet, Luke has been working full-time in construction for years. Up until a few weeks ago, in fact. “I just finished a huge construction job,” he says, Both he and Brianna worked in restaurants out west as bartenders and servers, but don’t have any back-of-house experience. And Brianna, a full-time interior designer - who just had a baby (the couple have two children, River Skye and Rain Skye) and is currently on maternity leave while working full-time to get the pizzeria going - designed and decorated the space, which is similar to the kitchen where the magic all started. “It’s a bit of a nod to our story,” Luke says. “A warm, happy kitchen like at home.” And the business is truly a family affair, with Brianna’s sister Alana Murray helping at the front with pick-ups and orders.

The ‘za that started it all

After years of crafting and honing, One Night Only Pizza is “New York-esque,” classic (“Nothing gimmicky.”), and comes in at 16”. The current lineup is a carefully curated five selections, three of which are vegetarian: Cheese ($25.50), Pepperoni ($27.50), Spicy Pepperoni ($28.50) O.N.O Mushroom Pie Special ($29.50) O.N.O Spicy Potato Special ($28.50)

Luke keeps ingredients as local and Canadian as possible, including the dough made with “beautiful” organic Canadian flour, fermented for 72 hours. And while many pizza shops use a collagen cased pepperoni from the U.S., he prefers to source closer to home - one with no added fillers or preservatives from Venetian Meats in Hamilton. The balanced sauce is made with pizzeria staple Bianco DiNapolio’s organic California canned tomatoes, now on display at the front counter.

The crust is light and thin, but structurally sound, with good chew and slight crispy finish, with no hard edges in sight. The thin layer of mozzarella won’t result in any cheese pulls, but here, that’s a good thing. Toppings are diligently, deftly added, resulting in uniform slices/morsels.

Order the mushroom, and you’ll discover cremini tossed with house made balsamic dressing, infusing the pie with a bright acidity and subtle sweetness. The spicy potato features a rich garlic and basil cream, smoked mozzarella (Canadian) and pickled in-house red onions. The Number 3 (Spicy Pepperoni) features pickled jalapeños sliced razor thin, yet they still bring the heat. The signature final touch on all selections: parmesan and fragrant, fresh torn basil leaves.

If you’re the kind of person who always leaves you our crusts, you won’t have that issue here - ingredients are pushed all the way out to the outer limits of the corniccione. And pizzas are accompanied by two addictive housemade garlic dill dipping sauces. Think you’re not a ‘dip person’? Believe it will take away from the experience? You’re wrong on both counts. You’ll dip like no one’s watching.

Once everything is fully up-and-running, Luke will add a rotating feature,” once a month or every few weeks,” he says. “There definitely will be a sixth pizza and depending on customer response, it could become permanent.”

Too hot to handle

While the business is now a full-on restaurant, and the brick-and-mortar location softly opened last week – orders are currently pre-order via the website and pick up only, no walk ins.

To pre-order, be prepared to be glued to your phone, tablet or computer. (If you aren’t already.) Drops are announced via  social and email newsletter. Then you’ll have to act fast to make your selections and complete your order before they run out. Which they do. In minutes.

As with any new business, there have been a few glitches along the way. It can take a long time before you get access, and just because you are on the email list doesn’t mean you receive a message. “We don’t want to email everyone on the list,” Luke says. The demand is just too great. “This is new to us. It’s a work in progress and we’re doing our best.” Once the new equipment arrives and production can be ramped up, access and wait times should improve.

When asked about delivery, Luke says it’s “certainly possible,” as is the day when you can simply walk in and order. “Definitely the goal is expansion and getting more people pizza,” he adds.

In the meantime, keep trying your luck. As the adage goes, “Good things come to those who wait.”

One Night Only Pizza
581 Pape Ave.

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