Iron Born Pizza’s Detroit-style slices find a home in Pittsburgh
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Thick-crusted Detroit-style pizzas continue to gain popularity in the Steel City.
One might say they’re Iron Born.
Kittanning native Pete Tolman knew he had to bring the doughy slices to Western Pennsylvania the first time he tried them, on a trip not to the Motor City but to Telluride, Colo.
Tolman attended culinary school at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, worked in several fine dining restaurants and spent years managing prepared foods for Giant Eagle. “I felt I had the experience and passion to open my own place,” he said.
He launched Iron Born Pizza in 2017 in the Strip District, starting out in Smallman Galley — the restaurant incubator — and moving to his own location on Smallman Street in late-2019. In between, he opened a takeout shop in Millvale.
The name “Iron Born” is a nod to Tolman’s Pittsburgh roots and to the steel pans they use to bake pizza. They create a thick, rectangular crust that is both crunchy and chewy.
“I think we brought something Pittsburgh hasn’t seen before and they’re still excited about,” Tolman said.
Tolman cites the spicy pie as his top choice. It features red sauce, spicy soppressata, pepperoni, banana peppers and Mike’s Hot Honey. Other favorites include the white pie — made with garlic cream, roasted tomato, ricotta, lemon arugula and caramelized onion — and the red-top pie, with red sauce, pepperoni and garlic oil.
“One of the Detroit trademarks is we put the sauce on top after it comes out,” Dan McGhee, a chef and manager, said as he finished a red top pie. “Then we do a little garnish with some garlic oil that we make in-house, a little Romano cheese blend and some fresh herbs.”
Chef Dan McGhee demonstrates how to make a Detroit-style pizza @IronBornPgh. pic.twitter.com/M4ur6yEpei
— Julia Felton (@JuliaFelton16) January 22, 2021
Everything on the menu is homemade.
“I tweaked the recipe to make it a little airier and crispier,” Tolman said.
The pizza dough is fermented for two days. “Fermentation tastes better over a period of time,” he said. “It tastes stronger.”
Other options include the Cubano pie — made with honey mustard, smoked pork, rosemary ham, dill pickle and Swiss cheese — and the Yinzer pie, a concoction of red sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms and garlic oil. The veggie supreme is topped with red sauce, bell peppers, red onion, olives, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
“Pizza’s not always the most romantic thing, but we try to make it as good as possible,” Tolman said. “We put our heart into our homemade recipes.”
Iron Born also serves pasta, chicken wings and sandwiches, along with beer and wine.
Tolman said he’s appreciative of community support during the pandemic. The restaurant is open for limited indoor dining and take-out. “People love our pizza and want to support us,” he said.
In the pandemic, Tolman had to scale back the menu and temporarily close the bar. And while the food is good served to-go, Tolman said, he prefers dishing it up fresh in the restaurant.
Tolman is eager to be able to serve more people inside once the pandemic restrictions ease.
“Seeing joy again would be great — and pizza usually does that,” Tolman said.