By Brian Hernandez
What’s more fun than eating pizza? Making your own—and then eating it. Kramer understood the appeal as hilarity ensued when he pitched a make-your-own-pizza restaurant to the Seinfeld gang.
Lou Malnati’s is giving invited guests a chance to put that idea into practice with “Pizza By Me,” a hands-on deep-dish class celebrating the soft opening of its new St. Charles, Illinois, restaurant. Scheduled for October 23 at 11:30 a.m., the experience lets participants build their own pizza, learn how the Chicago classic comes together and capture a few bragging-rights photos along the way.
There’s just something satisfying about looking at a finished pie and knowing your contribution went beyond placing the order.
The new restaurant, located at 3050 E. Main Street in Fox Haven Square, will feature a full dining room, private dining, a full-service bar and an outdoor patio. The class gives guests an early look at the location while turning a restaurant preview into something they can help create.
For a brand built around deep dish, letting people get their hands into the process feels like a fitting introduction to the neighborhood.
This not only caught my attention as a massive Seinfeld fan, but also a pizza professional. I’m the first to admit Cosmo is nothing but a “hipster doofus,” but I swear every now and then he gets it right. Even since the episode’s original air-date, that idea has rattled around in my head. Yes, it’s definitely an insurance nightmare, but if you can navigate that minefield, oh, the memories you would make, most of them lasting as either nuggets of joy in your mind or severe oven burns on your arms. Ahhh, the pizza business.
One more thing that definitely made this stick out to me is letting the public get their hands in deep-dish dough. There are many in-restaurant make-your-own-pizza nights that happen locally, but most deal with an easy-to-handle, traditional hand-tossed pie. That approach lets the customer have a great time dealing with an easy dough. You can find specialty classes for other styles and skill levels, but finding a local deep-dish class for the general masses is like a finding that French fry at the bottom of the box that is half “burny-crispit” and half “chewy-Magoo.” That is to say, quite a pleasant surprise. And, yes, I name my styles of fries.
Spots for Pizza By Me are limited, and invited guests can RSVP through Eventbrite. Lou Malnati’s is also offering separate, invitation-only VIP preview events for those unable to attend the class. Consider it an opportunity to meet the new neighbor, only you don’t have to bring the food.
