Former Rosalie’s owners Leah Highfield and Jeremy Williams are back with a new pop-up following the April 2021 closure of their food truck, which specialized in thick, rectangular slices of Detroit-style pan pizza.
And while their High Pie mobile pop-up specializes in wood-fired Neapolitan pies, you’ll still find the same naturally leavened dough, fresh mozzarella and vegetarian toppings that made Rosalie’s such a hit, Highfield and Williams told the City Paper.
“It was not the most sustainable model because pan pizzas are pretty labor-intensive,” said Highfield, describing the decision to swap the Rosalie’s food truck for a wood-fired oven that cooks pizzas in 90 seconds. “It’s something that we had been planning to do even before we shut down Rosalie’s.”
The duo hasn’t completely shut the door on the Rosalie’s model moving forward, but for now, they’re lugging their new oven to breweries like Munkle, Westbrook and Lo-Fi, where they serve five different vegetarian pizzas. All of the dough is naturally leavened, and mozzarella — regular and vegan — is made in-house.
According to Williams, the wood-fired oven gives the pizzas a “softer, chewier crust” that’s synonymous with Neapolitan pizza, but the toppings are less traditional.
“We mix all kinds of flavors at home, and I feel like on smaller pizzas we can be a little more creative,” he said.
Take, the “Double Date,” which is topped with fresh mozzarella, tahina, dates, date syrup (aka silan) and Aleppo pepper. And according to Highfield, the “White Wizard” has also been a hit — look for toum (Lebanese garlic sauce), fresh mozzarella, seasoned farmers cheese, fresh cracked black pepper and fried onions on top of High Pie’s version of a white pizza.
There’s just five pizzas and a refreshing basil-lemon limeade on the menu for now, but Highfield and Williams eventually plan to add sides and possibly dessert. They also want to get back into a pop-up routine, so folks know where to find them.
“It’s really nice for customers when we can find a regular spot,” Highfield said, recalling the Rosalie’s days when they would set up at Recovery Room every Sunday. “We’re kind of looking to find things like that again.”
High Pie Pizza will pop up at Ship’s Wheel Hard Cider July 11, Munkle Brewing Co. July 15, Westbrook Brewing Company July 16 and Hobcaw Brewing Company July 17. For a full schedule, follow High Pie on Instagram @highpiepizza.
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