Chef Ann Kim, owner of the celebrated Pizzeria Lola in Minneapolis, has wanted to set up a pizza truck in the beer yard at Indeed Brewing Co. for years. Now it’s finally happening next month, as MPLS.St. Paul Magazine reports.
Kim’s team started talks about a mobile unit with Indeed Brewing’s owners back in 2019, but the pandemic struck just as they were ready to purchase a custom-built trailer with a wood-fired oven. Another restaurant, called Revival, ended up getting the prime spot later.
“My executive chef and the team were so excited about having a satellite location at a brewery, and I think they never really stopped being sad about it,” Kim told the magazine.
They got their chance, though, when Little Tomato Wood Fired Pizza had to shut down permanently last December. That meant Little Tomato’s own pizza truck was available for sale, and Kim snapped it up. Meanwhile, Revival also closed in January, and the wood-fired stars aligned at last.
Kim is a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur with three pizzerias now under her belt—Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza and Young Joni—all of them highly acclaimed. Last year Oprah Winfrey paid Young Joni a visit along with Gayle King of CBS Morning News.
In case you’re wondering, Kim named Pizzeria Lola for her late lamented dog, described as a “gentle, pizza-loving Weimaraner” who was “all about good times, good people and good food.” Lola passed away in 2021.
The mobile version of Pizzeria Lola will offer a limited menu, but it’s packed with five of Kim’s greatest hits, including the Korean BBQ (beef short rib, mozzarella, scallions, arugula, soy-chili vinaigrette and sesame); the My Sha-Roni (red sauce, mozz, pepperoni and fennel sausage); and Winfrey’s favorite, the Tavern Pie (red sauce, mozz, pepperoni, jalapeños and honey).
Ryan Bandy, Indeed Brewing’s chief business officer, told Mpls.St. Paul Magazine that he hopes to find ways to blend operations with Pizzeria Lola’s mobile unit. “I’m a huge fan of Lola,” he said. “I always have been—it’s always felt so good in there. And the food’s f—ing delicious. The teams have always been great. So it’s really fun for us to be able to partner with them.”
