Today we’d like to introduce you to Teddy Ramirez.
Hi Teddy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As far as my love for pizza goes, I’ve loved it as far back as I can remember. I have many early memories of the excitement leading up to picking up a pizza or waiting for the delivery driver to arrive. At some point in my 20’s, I started putting together my own pizzas from store bought dough and hosted some pizza parties. Pizza parties are a thing amongst many friend groups. One day I realized I was kind of fed up going to pizza parties at my friends houses and having bad pizza as well as not enjoying the ones I was compiling at home. I understand that some people don’t care as much as me but I knew I wanted to learn how to make my own dough because I felt this was the most important part. I started with the classic yeasted dough. This eventually led me to move from yeasted bread to naturally leavened, or sourdough. Shortly after, COVID hit. At the time, I was working as a film composer in the Hollywood area so when production halted, I had some time to get better at my dough recipe. I wanted to keep it simple and clean: salt, flour, water. I still hold true to that to this day. Shout out to Folks Pizzeria in Costa Mesa for inspiring my dough philosophy. This led to secret backyard pizza parties and traveling home to the central coast to make pizza for my family on certain occasions. I eventually moved back home in spring of 2021 and had my first public event a couple of months later which started the momentum that’s led me to where I am now with this little pizza business. It now ranges from small, intimate pizza parties to large weddings that include an array of salads, appetizers, and of course, pizza.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not. All of the best advice in the world can only go so far when learning the best ways to run your business. I’ve had many failures and learning experiences on this journey. For me, the dough is the most important aspect to me. It’s my baby. I want it to be as natural, wild, and free as it can be. I only do room temperature ferments with organic flour, salt, and water. This is a total surrender to the elements and it comes with its own set of risks. It’s worth it because I don’t compromise on that quality. It’s definitely paid off even with the amount of challenges I’ve had to get through in respect to being a student of sourdough.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
This is strictly a pop-up catering business. Our focus is natural fermentation, or sourdough, as most people would know it, although my dough isn’t sour. When I first started to commit to sourdough pizza, it certainly wasn’t an original idea for me. I was inspired by the up and coming pizza movement I was seeing in LA where pizza was being elevated. I suppose continuing this commitment to sourdough sets us apart, especially in the catering world. It’s become a part of the brand. Currently outside of pizza, we offer a handful of salad options, appetizer options, and an interactive pasta bar experience.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I’m unsure of where I’d like to see this business grow in that time. We’re able to handle multiple events in the same day which is something I hadn’t even dreamed of when I started this thing. I’m happy where it’s at because it is manageable. I don’t have to worry about compromising quality for quantity at this stage. Perhaps some day the team itself can grow much larger but for now, I’m happy to do what I do and continue to learn in that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: burymeinpizza
- Other: https://canva.link/9uoas7t5dipfpg6
