Ed Sheeran surprises, delights fans at Caliente Pizza in Crafton

Lara Netherton of Cincinnati and her 16-year-old daughter, Kallie, were driving to the Marriott Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, mere minutes away from where they would be staying after Saturday night’s Ed Sheeran concert at Acrisure Stadium.

All of a sudden, Lara found herself making a U-turn and heading to Caliente Pizza and Draft House in Crafton as fast as she could.

“My daughter was scrolling through social media and saw (Sheeran’s) post on Instagram,” said Netherton, 45.

Sheeran’s post was informing his fans that he was making a surprise appearance at Caliente Pizza and Draft House in Crafton. They included Netherton and her daughter’s friends and their moms as part of one big “girls trip,” according to Netherton, who said her favorite Sheeran song is “Shivers.”

Shortly after 3 p.m., Sheeran, immediately recognizable with his shock of red hair and prominently tatooed arms, emerged from an entrance to the kitchen where he’d been helping to box up pizzas he handed out to his fans who had jammed into the place.

They screamed when they saw him.

Just as quickly, they all went silent as if in shock. Sheeran in a very “aw shucks” manner made his way gently among the crowd and handed out free pizzas with his name and likeness on specially made boxes.

“Open the box carefully,” Sheeran told delighted fans Chloe Rotondo and Raquel Holiday. Inside the box were tickets to Saturday night’s show.

So how did it happen?

Caliente Pizza and Draft House owner Nick Bogacz had never met or spoken to Sheeran before Saturday. That is, until the English singer-songwriter sensation showed up at the back door of Bogacz’s restaurant in Crafton and walked into the kitchen.

Bogacz said it all happened because of his relationship with Acrisure Stadium, where he has five pizza stands.

“Back in March, they called up and said ‘Hey, Ed Sheeran is having his Mathematics Tour in July’ and they asked us if we could make a pizza for his Mathematics Tour and launch it for Pi Day. So we did that,” Bogacz said. “So, then last Friday they called and said ‘Hey, Ed wants to come by, and would you host him for a pop-up at one of your locations?’ So, here we are now.”

Bogacz clearly appreciated Sheeran’s kind treatment of his customers during his roughly 20-minute visit. They included Adam Frat, 24, of Westchester, N.Y., who was performing a cover of Sheeran’s song “The A Team” on a guitar Sheeran took a moment to sign.

“It was cool (meeting him) — wonderful guy; very gracious of him to come here and bless a small business like he did today,” Bogacz said. “He said he has a pizza oven in his backyard, and he usually makes oval pizzas. So I said, ‘Let’s show you how to make some circle pizzas.’ ”