Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrion Thomas.
Hi Adrion, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
BLK Crust Pizza started out as a request from my significant other to make pizza for our son. I obliged, and quickly fell in love with the process of making pizza. I reached out to a friend of mine that was familiar with making pizza and asked him for a few tips. It was then, that he directed me to follow a few pizza makers on instagram to further learn the craft.
After my initial experience making pizza, I yearned for the opportunity to do it again. So, I decided to have a pizza night and hosted a few friends at my home. I made a Chicago deep dish pie and a New York style pizza. Both were a hit and led my cousin to jokingly state that I should sell pizza. He also said that the pizza I made was easily in his top 3 pizzas of all time! The same night, a friend that was there, asked me to cater his 40th birthday party.
Soon after, some buddies and I took a birthday trip to Medellin, Colombia. On the trip we discussed our lives and caught each other up on what we had been doing. Unfortunately, I had just been laid off from my job as a technical recruiter and that was my story to tell at the moment. Having heard rave reviews about my pizza, a friend of mine suggested I try selling pizza since I had some spare time. Reluctant at first, I began to give the idea of a pizza business some thought.
I began doing research and became enamored with the pizza making process. I then came up the name BLK Crust as my first idea for a pizza business. Next, I thought about doing something different and jarring. This is when the recipe for the black crust was derived. We began doing research and development for sauce and dough. Once we worked on a recipe, we would go up and down our block handing out free pizza samples to our neighbors. Once we landed on a recipe that everyone agreed on taste wise, we decided to do our 1st pop up. I went to the owner of Ace Smoke Shop in Altadena and asked could I sell pizza in front of his shop. We agreed on the days we would pop up and the rest is history!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been nothing but smooth sailing. This is how I know it is meant to be. There have been no hiccups in the process. Just the initial learning curve of how to make dough and good pizza.
As you know, we’re big fans of BLK Crust Pizza . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
BLK Crust is family owned and operated pizza pop up located in Altadena, California. The company was founded in the summer of 2024. We are different from most pizzerias because of our unique black dough and our locally sourced ingredients. Everything is handmade in house from scratch. Our dough is fermented for 48-72 hours and is light and airy and easy to digest. The dough is infused with activated charcoal powder to create a robust flavor and absorbs toxins.
Brand wise, I am most proud of our unique product. We are the only pizzeria in Los Angeles dedicated to making black crust pizzas.
We offer a small but mighty menu consisting of 3 pies. A cheese and basil, a classic pepperoni and a spicy pepperoni with jalapeño and hot honey drizzle. We also have a vegan selection with our delicious tomato pie.
How do you define success?
Success is the ability to chase a dream and attain it through perseverance and hard work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @blkcrust
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Photos taken by Ocular Apex Photography.
