The Mothership has landed in Minneapolis, and there’s pizza aplenty onboard.
Mothership Pizza Paradise, a new pizzeria from husband-and-wife team Tommy Begnaud and Carrie Erickson and their partner, Courtney Briden, held a soft opening last week in the space previously occupied by a beloved Italian eatery called Arezzo Ristorante, which closed last year after a landlord dispute. Reportedly, the previous occupants weren’t too keen on being pushed out, but the Mothership team has preserved some of Arezzo’s art on the walls as “an homage to the long-standing family-run restaurant,” Erickson told Stephanie March in a recent MPSMag.com article.
Family-friendly is what Mothership Pizza Paradise, which officially opened on October 29, is all about, too. The menu’s pizzas are dubbed in honor of team members’ mothers (hence the pizzeria’s name), and the logo—with two cardinals forming the letter M—represent Begnaud’s and Erickson’s own moms specifically. Framed pictures of mothers adorn the walls, and the website states, “Mothership is our tribute to the ones who raised us, a place where family goes beyond the name. In Mothership, our mission is to reflect their exceptional skill, relentless service and enduring strength.”
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The menu offers pies like the Kathy (red sauce, cheese blend, pepperoni, basil and Parmesan) and the Also Kathy (white sauce, cheese blend, chicken, bacon, ranch, buffalo sauce and celery) as well as the Emma (white sauce, cheese blend, mushrooms, artichokes, truffle honey, pistachios, basil and Parm) and the Patsy (white sauce, ricotta, prosciutto, arugula, olives, lemon, basil and Parmesan). Pastas and small plates round out the menu, and a full bar pours cocktails like the Café Negroni, the Espresso Martini and the Manhattan.
“Via eating trips to Chicago and New York, the team has perfected their ideal pizza,” March wrote. “Cooked in a brick oven that has wood and gas heating capabilities, the pizzas are created with a signature dough made with Peroni beer. You can get that malty whiff if you get your nose right up to the crust. It’s Neapolitan-style, but with a little more sturdiness. Less flop is good, because the topping game is real.
Begnaud, meanwhile, is having so much fun with his latest restaurant—he and Briden also own Mr. Paul’s Supper Club in Edina, Minnesota—he’s been known to break out his dance moves on social media videos to songs like Britney Spears’ “Oops!…I Did It Again” and Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend.” His website even has a feature called Mothership Radio, with links to Spotify songs that are heavy on the reggae.
