There’s no shortage of excellent local pizza these days. But you might not expect to find standout pies coming from a mobile pizza trailer — one that parks beside a brewery, sets up at local events, or rolls into a neighborhood to cater a backyard party.
One such roving pizzeria is Nor’Easter Pizza Co., based in Kingston. On a recent Sunday, the smoky aroma of blistered dough drifted through the parking lot outside Untold Brewery in Plymouth, where Nor’Easter’s blue trailer was drawing a steady crowd. Inside, business partners Jay Layman, a former art director at America’s Test Kitchen, and Brett Williams, executive chef at Hooper’s Judge in Cohasset, slid 14-inch pies into a propane-fueled Gozney hearth. The oven’s rolling flames blistered the pillowy crusts, creating that appealing spotty char known as leoparding.
Customers lined up to order from a menu of cleverly branded pies. Stormy picks include a white pie that pairs goat cheese with red onion, pistachios, and truffle honey (“The White Squall”); a sausage–banana pepper matchup (“Hurricane Bob”); and a classic Margherita (“The Perfect Storm”). Other creative combos feature prosciutto, figs, Gorgonzola, and arugula (“Pig and Fig”); and ground beef, pickle, onion, American cheese, and secret sauce (“The Molly Burger”).
The dough itself is equally high-caliber — a sourdough-based mixture of finely milled Italian Tipo 00 flour, whole wheat, and semolina that Layman and Williams cold-ferment for nearly three days. Their red sauce starts with Bianco DiNapoli organic tomatoes from California; the cheese blend combines mozzarella, provolone, and aged cheddar.
“Our ingredients are upscale,” says Layman.
Their attention to detail has also earned recognition beyond the Boston area. In March, the partners competed at the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, placing 33rd out of 110 competitors in a division that challenged participants to create a pizza using red sauce, cheese, and two toppings. Their entry — a pie topped with candied bacon and pickled Fresno chiles — helped them stand out.
As the line whittled down that Sunday, one customer had a request: “We’d like to hire you for a party.”
When people taste our pizza, Layman says, “they grab a business card to book a private event later.”
Nor’Easter Pizza Co. pizzas are $20. For menu and catering information, visit noreasterpizza.com.
ANN TRIEGER KURLAND
Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at anntrieger@gmail.com.