Chef Mike Easton nabbed a James Beard Foundation award last month for Bar Bacetto, his Italian restaurant in Waitsburg, Washington, that’s renowned for its pastas and cocktails. Can he duplicate that success in the pizza segment?

We’ll find out soon enough when he opens Bacetto’s Detroit Style this summer in Walla Walla.

The pasta maestro’s new concept will include a takeout window and slice service at the bar, The Seattle Times reports. It’s also a sign that Detroit-style pizza just keeps spreading nationwide decades after its humble, but now fabled, beginnings at Buddy’s Pizza in the Motor City.

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Easton is a fan of the rock-and-roll vibe at Supreme, a New York-style pizza joint in West Seattle that offers its own Detroit square, a meat lovers option stacked with aged mozzarella, pepperoni, salami, meatball pieces and bacon. “That was one of our favorite go-to spots when we were living in Seattle,” Easton told the Seattle Times, “so we are trying to recreate it in Walla Walla.”

Easton previously owned Il Nido, another acclaimed Italian eatery, before selling it in June 2022. He went on to focus on Bar Bacetto in Waitsburg, a town with a population of just 1,200 people, in early 2023. It was nominated this year for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant award.

Ten years ago, Easton opened his first pizza shop, Pizzeria Gabbiano, serving Roman-style al taglio pies. But in a recent story published on Seattle Met, he expressed his fondness for the Motown style in colorful terms that require a little editing for our purposes. “I [bleepin’] love it,” he said.

He also noted that the style’s lengthy dough-prep process will allow him to split his time between Bacetto’s Detroit Style and Bar Bacetto.

In March 2023, Easton made a pop-up appearance at AK’s Mercado, a Mexican concept in Walla Walla, and reportedly sold out of pies in less than 30 minutes. Could another James Beard award be in the offing?