Baby Blue Pizza (sometimes Baby Blue Woodfired Pizza)[1] was a vegan pizzeria in Portland, Oregon.[2] The restaurant operated from July 2019 to January 2022, closing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Baby Blue Pizza | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | July 2019 |
| Closed | January 2022 |
| Owner(s) | Odie O’Connor |
| Food type | Italian (pizza) |
| City | Portland |
| State | Oregon |
| Country | United States |
| Website | babybluepizza |
Description
editThe restaurant served seven[3] vegan pizzas with sourdough crusts and toppings like meatless pepperoni.[4][5] Sometimes gluten-free crusts were used.[6]
History
editVegan chef Odie O'Connor, who previously worked at Gracie's Apizza, began operating Baby Blue as a food cart on Hawthorne Boulevard in southeast Portland in July 2019.[7] Approximately two years later, O'Connor related the business to the Rose City Food Park. He closed the cart for approximately one month during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing him to explore making other types of pizza and open a separate small pizzeria called Boxcar Pizza.[1][8][9] Like many restaurants during the pandemic, Baby Blue operated via take-out or bike courier delivery at times.[10][11] The restaurant closed in January 2022; employees were given the option to work at Boxcar Pizza.[12][13]
Reception
editMichael Russell included Baby Blue in The Oregon's 2020 overview of Portland's five best new pizzerias. He said Baby Blue "stands out for the quality of its chewy, blistered dough" and was "leaning the charge" amongst the city's new vegan pizzerias.[14][15] The Portland Business Journal gave the business a rating of 5 stars.[16] Waz Wu included Baby Blue in Eater Portland's 2021 overview of "where to find knockout vegan pizza in Portland" and said, "This successful pop-up-turned-food-cart slings some of the most exciting vegan pizza in town."[17] Wu also included the business in a 2021 list of 13 "vegan food carts to visit in Portland and beyond".[18] Baby Blue was a nominee in the Best Vegan Pizzeria category of VegNews magazine's Veggie Awards in 2022.[12]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Vinson, Ty (2020-07-14). "Vegan Detroit-style pizza joint set to open in The Zipper this August". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Piech-Gitenstein, Nicole; Gitenstein, Eric (2020-06-01). Portland, Oregon Food Crawls: Touring the Neighborhoods One Bite and Libation at a Time. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-4569-3.
- ^ "KOIN's Cart of the Week: Baby Blue Pizza". KOIN.com. 2020-02-04. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-12-16). "A Guide to Portland's New Pizza Shops". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-01-09). "Beloved Japanese Bakery Oyatsupan Opens a Tiny Bakery Cafe in Tigard". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Smith, Suzette. "Takeout Club: A Former Detroiter's Review of Two New Detroit-Style Pizzerias". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2019-07-10). "A New Vegan Pizza Cart Is Coming to SE Hawthorne". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (2020-07-17). "The Portland Independent Restaurant Alliance Calls for a Boycott of Grubhub". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-11-21. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Axworthy, Nicole. "Detroit-Style Vegan Pizza Shop to Open in Oregon". VegNews. Archived from the original on 2022-12-28. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- ^ Wu, Waz (2020-05-28). "Portland's Vegan and Vegetarian Food Carts Open for Takeout and Delivery". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Wu, Waz (2020-03-30). "Portland Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants Offering Delivery and Takeout During the COVID-19 Outbreak". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-08-21. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ a b Wu, Waz (2022-01-10). "Vegan Pizza Cart Baby Blue Will Close at the End of the Month". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Smith, Suzette (2022-01-09). "Vegan, Wood-Fired Pizza Cart Baby Blue Announces It Will Close at the End of January". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2020-01-30). "These are Portland's five best new pizzerias, from creative toppings to obsessed-over dough". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-11-15. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2020-01-31). "Portland is in the midst of a vegan pizza boomlet, and Baby Blue Pizza is leading the charge". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2020-11-15. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ "New restaurants 2019". Portland Business Journal. November 18, 2019. Note: Slide 19.
- ^ Wu, Waz (2018-10-17). "Where to Find Knockout Vegan Pizza in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2022-01-05. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ Wu, Waz (2018-09-04). "13 Vegan Food Carts To Visit in Portland and Beyond". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2022-12-27.