Crust, the new pizza ‘joint’ in town

Mon, 07/07/2014 - 9:00am

There's a new pizza joint in town. Well, not exactly a joint, but definitely a place to get one of the best, freshest wood-fired pizzas in the area.

The business, called Crust, is owned by Shelly McLellan and her daughter Katie, and friend Eric Cornell. It opened in its new location, a lot across from and a little north of Hammond Lumber, at the beginning of May.

Katie McLellan and Cornell said business has been good. “We've run out a couple of times,” Cornell said.

Their mobile wood-fired pizza oven with a gleaming copper dome heats to 1,000 F, but the owners cook their pizzas at 650 to 750 F. The oven was custom built by a company in Skowhegan, Wood Heat, and the copper dome was fashioned by a Maine artisan. The base of the oven, which the pizzas are placed directly on for baking, is made from French organic clay.

Cornell described their pizza as “natural, organic fast food.” All of the ingredients used in the pies are fresh and mostly organic, and the hot oven bakes their pizzas in about two minutes.

Shortcuts isn't a word that comes to mind in conjunction with the pizzas made by Crust. The dough and sauce are made fresh daily, and the mozzarella cheese is purchased in the form of curds and hand stretched to the perfect consistency. “We put the curds in water so hot it almost burns your hands when you take it out, then stretch it and twist it into pretzel shapes,” Cornell said.

McLellan said they get most of their other ingredients from local markets and vendors.

Their extra virgin olive oils are all from Boothbay Harbor’s Eventide Specialties.

Some of the unusual combinations that the McLellans and Cornell use on their pizzas are: blueberry sauce, goat cheese and chicken sausage; bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato; barbecued chicken, made with chicken that was roasted in their oven; bacon and peach with a barbecue drizzle; pepperoni, chicken sausage and pineapple; zucchini, summer squash, corn and goat cheese with garlic olive oil; and a Greek pizza with kalamata olives, spinach, goat cheese and tomatoes. Oh, and lobster!

The location of the pizza business is a good spot, the owners said, because anyone coming into and heading out of the harbor has to go by them. “A lot of people will see the sign on their way into the harbor, and then stop on their way out,” Cornell said.

They will drizzle different infused olive oils over the finished pizza upon request.

Look for the white tent with the orange banner on the side, and the big copper dome, diagonally across from Hammond Lumber next time your heading in or out of town. And you really don't need to call in an order. If you have four minutes to spare, stop by for some of the best fresh, hot fast food this side of Italy.

Crust is open 11 to 7 Wednesday to Monday. The phone number is 207-380-5425. The business is also available for catering.