A menu item doesn’t have to be brand-new to create buzz. Just ask the Bajalieh family, owners of Slice Pizza & Brew in Birmingham, Alabama.
PMQ first featured Slice in its January-February 2013 cover story. And one specialty pizza stood out from the get-go: the Soul Pie, which puts a Deep South spin on an Italian-American classic. Italians have their nonnas. Southerners have their grannies, mamaws, meemaws—call them what you will, those ladies can flat-out cook, too.
But it took a trio of brothers—Jeff, Chris and Jason Bajalieh—to put soul-food ingredients on a pizza. And although the Soul Pie dates back to Slice’s launch in June 2011, it’s still the kind of signature item that delivers free PR via local, regional and national media.
Case in point: WBRC in Birmingham recently invited a Slice team member to prepare the Soul Pie live in a segment called “Good Day Cooking.”
Watch the segment here.
The Soul Pie starts with a base of olive oil and gets topped with minced garlic, shredded Parmesan, and a house blend of mozzarella, smoked provolone and fontina.
Then things get a little weird: specifically, a heapin’ helping of collard greens, something of a staple in old-school southern families’ kitchens but not exactly a traditional go-to for pizza.
Collard greens bestow a deep, slow-cooked richness—we’re talking tender leaves that turn savory as they soak up smoky bacon or ham hock. The flavor is earthy and mineral, with a deep umami note and a gentle bitterness. Imagine spinach with more of that Alabama sass.
Then come the black-eyed peas, which provide a delicate, nutty undertone when cooked with smoky ham and the right seasoning.
Slice Pizza & Brew finishes it off with red onions and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, then into the oven it goes. The pizza comes out tasting like Sunday dinner after church on a cool winter’s day.
Other artisanal specialty pizzas on the menu at Slice Pizza & Brew include This Little Piggy (pepperoni, capicola, Italian sausage, prosciutto, bacon, roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh basil); The Lakeview (braised beef short rib, caramelized onions, roasted cherry tomatoes, asiago, arugula, shaved red onions and horseradish sauce); and the Hot Mama (Calabrian peppers, soppressata, fresh mozz, basil, oregano, asiago and a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey).
Sadly, Slice co-founder Jeff, the eldest Bajalieh brother, passed away from cancer in 2021. But Chris and Jason still proudly own and operate the brand’s four locations in Lakeview, Crestline Park, Vestavia Hills and Homewood, Alabama.
Back in 2013, Jason hinted to PMQ that his family wasn’t looking to take their brand too far from their Birmingham home base. “That’s not to say it wouldn’t be successful,” he said, “but we wouldn’t have fun doing it if it’s not exactly how we want to do it. And once you take the fun out of it, it’s all downhill from there.”
