Greek pizza from Udderless (Photo courtesy Udderless)
History: Wanting to ditch corporate life, longtime restaurant worker and former accountant Evan Byrne decided to return to the industry, but this time as an owner. In 2018, Byrne introduced The Hop Craft Pizza & Beer at 1600 W. Cary St. Known as a spot to snag a heady brew and a handmade pie, Hop Craft has also gained a reputation for catering to plant-based pizza eaters, earning multiple awards during the annual Vegan 72 food festival. So when the eatery was unable to acquire the vegan cheese it had previously used, Byrne began to make his own. “We saw a dip in our sales, so I started experimenting,” he says. After years of toying with the recipe, Byrne introduced Udderless vegan frozen pizzas in February.
Specialties: The frozen, bake-at-home pizzas are available in classic cheese; vegan pepperoni; a Greek option featuring Kalamata olives, red onion, grape tomatoes and baby spinach; and jalapeno-pineapple. Byrne envisions expanding the Udderless product line, and last month he introduced a roasted squash and zucchini vegan lasagna at Ellwood Thompson’s.
Production: Hop Craft pizza maker Andrew McQuillen uses fresh dough and cashew-based vegan cheese to make Udderless pies. “The cheese has a little bit of funk to it because we ferment it,” Byrne explains. After a par-bake in the oven, the pies are frozen, vacuum-sealed and sent to stores.
Buy: Udderless frozen pizzas can be purchased at Ellwood Thompson’s, Union Market, The Stables Market, Lombardy Market and all Stella’s Grocery locations.
