Toronto's secret new pizza joint is so popular it can't keep up with demand
If you want to get your hands on a slice of Sohmers Pizza, Toronto's pre-ordered pizza pop-up, you better do it quickly.
Boxes of these thick-crust pies go on sale weekly Wednesdays at 3 p.m. and are usually sold out within five minutes.
Owner Daniel Sohmer says the demand for his pizzas—a style which rests somewhere between a grandma pie and a Detroit tray pizza—has been hard to meet.
Sohmer works full-time at a restaurant software start-up and this pop-up, which he's been running since the summer, is a passion project that he was hesitant to start in the first place.
Today, he dedicates about three nights a week to Sohmers Pizza, which includes making the dough, baking the pizzas at the Junction bakery Saving Mondays, as well as a day to meeting customers who have pre-ordered online.
At this rate, it makes sense to add another night due to demand, he says.
Sohmer doesn't have much of cooking background, other than sharing a love for 'za with his pizza-making dad. After playing around with some passed-down recipes, he found a hit. Now he attributes his success to the fact that people in Toronto love to support local.
"People just want to explore," he says. "It's a mix of that and maybe COVID: people are looking forward to more things these days. COVID hasn't been fun."
Right now Sohmers is offering two flavours at $30 per box: cheese, pepperoni, or half and half. He also makes his own spicy honey, and plans to expand with more flavours down the road.
Due to the popularity of his pizza, Sohmer has transitioned to having a dedicated pickup page (orders used to be made through Instagram DMs).
He started working out of Saving Mondays in December, and thanks to some exposure and a growing fan base, orders have been piping hot.
"I think the next step would be adding another night and then go from there," he says. "The goal one day would definitely be to open up something a bit more permanent. In COVID I've been lucky not to have to get my own lease."
Liz Jennings
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