Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chris Hill. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Chris, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

We have spent the last 10 or so years travelling, while eating and learning all about pizza. From Portland, Oregon to Sorrento, Italy, and everywhere in between, we have dedicated our time to become educated in what makes really great pizza. In speaking to and meeting some of the leading experts and Pizzaiolos in the industry, they all agree on one thing: Pizza must be made with the finest and freshest ingredients, by people who simply care.

Through our adventures, we began to realize that where we live in Sussex County, NJ and in the surrounding areas, we’re seriously lacking artisanal pizza. In order to access quality pizza in the past, you’d have to head east towards New York City. At A Slice of New Jersey, we are looking to change that narrative, as we strive everyday to make hand-crafted, high quality pizza accessible in this region of New Jersey, while sourcing local and seasonal ingredients. From the flour used to the toppings added, we ensure that your pizza is made with quality and most importantly, love.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was laid off from teaching during the pandemic and started making pizza at home for family and friends. Eventually, I became obsessed with the science behind the dough process and my pizza started improving. Meanwhile, I was having trouble finding a teaching job again, so I started selling pizzas out of my house and then at local farmer’s markets. I quickly began to realize that our region of New Jersey, where it’s less populated and more rural, there is an absence of artisanal pizza. In order to have higher quality pizza and toppings, you’d have to head east towards New York City. I wanted to craft elevated pizza that isn’t always accessible in my region of New Jersey, and that slowly became my purpose. When you visit our site, you’ll see the heading “Elevated Pizza, Highlighting Local and Seasonal Ingredients’. We use a blend of artisan flours in our dough, including whole wheat that’s grown and milled 30 minutes from where I live. We also offer seasonal pies throughout the year featuring local produce like corn, pears, peaches, summer squash, apples, & even butternut squash.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

A majority of everything that goes into our product is made in-house. If we can make it better than what’s accessible in stores, we make it; From our basil pesto, to our beer-braised pork shoulder, we create it all, using the highest quality ingredients. Not a lot of pizzerias in our area are doing that, so I think that’s what sets us apart.

Our most critical partnership is through River Valley Community Grains, our flour provider. As artisan pizza-makers know, the dough is not only the most important aspect of the pie, but the foundation, too. We use a blend of flours in our dough, including whole wheat from RVCG, that’s farmed and milled less than 30 minutes from where I live. Not only does it add great flavor and texture to the dough, but has essential vitamins and minerals that your standard white flour doesn’t.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Honestly, I think word-of-mouth is the most common source of new clients for us. A majority of calls/emails we receive for future events, are from acquaintances of previous clients. I think this is why it’s super important to not only make the best product possible, but also to provide outstanding customer service & hospitality. It really goes a long way, especially in this age of technology, where everything we do is put online, through Google, Yelp, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://asliceofnewjersey.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asliceofnewjersey/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asliceofnewjersey/