Christmas Day 2024 was shaping up to be a sad one for Will Fagg. He was on the verge of shutting down Tiny Brick Oven, his neighborhood pizzeria in Baltimore, due largely, he said, to local politicians’ refusal to grant him a liquor license.
Then, he got a Christmas miracle—not from Santa Claus, but from Dave Portnoy of One Bite Reviews.
With the cameras rolling, Portnoy, who’d stepped in for his last One Bite review of 2024, learned Fagg’s story and, within minutes, pledged to give him $60,000 to keep Tiny Brick Oven open for another year.
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While it’s unclear when Portnoy visited Tiny Brick Oven—likely earlier in December—the video dropped on December 23. Portnoy appeared to be in a hurry when he arrived and didn’t have time for Fagg to bake up a fresh pizza. But he was visibly taken aback as Fagg, who rushed to reheat a cheese pie for him, began relating his story.
Fagg said he would be closing the restaurant on Christmas Day. “We’re just not making any money, man,” he said. “It’s been crazy. Our politicians gave this market down [the street] their liquor license, but they won’t give us ours. It’s been crazy, man.”
Portnoy then asked the owner, “So what happens if the pizza’s great and you start getting busy and making money? Can you stay open or no?”
“I think we’ll have to stay open,” Fagg responded.
Portnoy turned to the camera and said, “We’re gonna have to keep this place open.”
From that moment on, Portnoy continually expressed his hope that he would like the pizza coming out of the oven. After stepping back outside, he examined the pie and said, “Oh, please be good.”
He took several bites and declared, with a mouthful, “This is a re-heat and very good. Thin, New York-kind of style, I really like it. I’m not gonna lie…there’s no way this place should be going out of business. None.”
After giving the pizza a strong 7.9 score, Portnoy started to head back into the restaurant when Fagg stepped outside. Portnoy asked him, point-blank, how much money he would need to stay open for another year. At first Fagg said he couldn’t put a number on it, but Portnoy persisted.
Fagg finally arrived at $60,000. Without hesitation, Portnoy said, “Done,” and shook Fagg’s hand. The two men exchanged cellphone numbers, and Portnoy promised to get the money to Fagg by Christmas Day.
“Oh, my gosh, man, this is unbelievable!” Fagg exclaimed. “I’m gonna cry, man. I’m gonna cry…. Listen, the whole neighborhood is, like, so crazy wanting us to stay open. We did a Pay It Forward program. I mean, we’ve fed the homeless so many times. We’ve done all these things. Our politicians just turned their backs on us.”
“Well, karma, then,” Portnoy said. This is good timing.”
According to Tiny Brick Oven’s website, procuring a liquor license is “the next step in our journey.” Fagg has been soliciting help from local residents to persuade officials to grant the license. He wants to offer a curated selection of craft beers and wines, host special events and themed nights, and create job opportunities in Baltimore’s Federal Hill district.
Tiny Brick Oven isn’t just the name of Fagg’s pizzeria. It’s the name of the oven itself. Fagg invented the portable oven and, in an interview with WMAR 2 News in July 2023, he explained, “We’ve been able to replicate what those humongous, very expensive ovens do in this very small footprint at a very affordable price.”
A device at the bottom of the oven ensures a full, high-quality bake, Fagg said. “We have a patented mechanism here that allows you to raise and lower this pizza stone” so both the top and bottom of the pie bake up according to the pizzaiolo’s preference, Fagg told WMAR 2 News. “It cooks at around 900° Fahrenheit, [and] that gives you that delicious brick-oven crust. It uses real bricks in the roof, and it turns the pizza for you with the help of a little motor down here.”
