Pizza Payaa

My name is Adam and I’m the Chef/Creator of Pizza Payaa. Growing up in Chicago, I’ve always LOVED pizza. I grew up eating Geppetto’s (my first real job!), Giordano’s, Gino’s, Pequod’s, Burt’s, Lou Malnati’s, Villa Nova, Armand’s, and more. But my love for pizza exploded when I took a trip to New York City. After a 3-day pizza tour, sampling over 20 slices, I was hooked and convinced that New York had the best pizza in the world. And it wasn’t close. I’m a food-obsessed home chef, so naturally, I started reading books and online forums to try to recreate what I had in New York.

In March of 2020, I had a restaurant lease fully negotiated and ready to sign. I scheduled a date to seal the deal. Oddly, a leak sprang in the ceiling of the dining room a day before. We agreed to hold off until the leak was fixed. Then COVID hit and the world began to shut down. Suddenly the idea of opening a pizzeria, while many businesses were forced to close their doors or restrict their capacity, didn’t seem like the best idea.