Pi-239 Pizzeria pizza ovens. Pi-239 Pizzeria is now at SALA Event Center Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Courtesy photo
Pizza from Pi-239 Pizzeria, now located at SALA Event Center Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Courtesy photo
Pi-239 Pizzeria owners Erin Gentry and Alyssa Gill now operating at SALA Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Courtesy photo
BUSINESS News:
Pi-239 Pizzeria is off to a successful start in Los Alamos establishing a presence and following by selling at the Farmers’ Market this year.
“Most days we would be sold out by noon,” owner Erin Gentry said. “My vision is simple. Offer our community a variety of delicious, handcrafted pizzas made with the finest ingredients.”
Finding a more permanent home has presented a challenge, though. Through an innovative collaboration with SALA Event Center, Pi-239 will now be offering their pies on a regularly scheduled basis at SALA.
Beginning today, Dec. 6, Pi-239 Pizzeria will be a part of the SALA experience. Their regular hours at SALA will be 4-7 p.m. every Thursday, noon-7 p.m Fridays and Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays.
Customers can arrange pizza for events at other times at SALA by special request. Customers can purchase full pizzas, and there will be pizza by the slice as well. Several kinds of pies will be offered from classic favorites to creative, gourmet options. Each Pi-239 pizza is handcrafted.
Satisfied customer Gail Medrick said, “The pizza was awesome!! REAL REAL AUTHENTIC PERFECTION!!”
“Working with SALA will help my business,” Gentry said. “Having a consistent place to work from, having regular hours, and drawing from SALA’s clientele is a big step forward. We hope to draw customers to SALA as well. We also hope to see many familiar faces from the clientele we built at the Farmers’ Market over the past season.”
SALA owner Allan Saenz said he is delighted about the collaboration.
“The community wants more options, and together with Erin’s business, we are responding to that,” Saenz said. “I was approached by the folks at LACDC who had worked with Erin in their Business Accelerator Program. They told me that Erin needed a place to do business. I know firsthand how difficult it is to find an affordable place, so Erin and I have worked out what we believe will be a mutually beneficial collaboration.”
Some customers may want to enjoy pizza while they watch a movie or attend an event. Others may want to come early and sit with friends or family in the lobby while they eat before the show. Some may just want to come for lunch or dinner and sit and enjoy it at SALA even if they are not attending an event. Still others will want to carry away pizza to eat at home or take to enjoy at the brewery with a handmade beer. All of these scenarios are encouraged and will be supported by Pi-239 and SALA. The hours that are being supported also mean that Los Alamos has a new lunch option on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
To start with, orders must be made in person at SALA – no phone or internet orders. “We have a pretty quick prep time, so we can typically turn around orders in no more than 10 or 15 minutes, depending on how many customers we have at once,” says Gentry. “If you are coming to eat before catching a movie or event, I’d recommend that you are there ordering a full 30 minutes before showtime.”
“Erin and I have talked about learning from our experience and adjusting our collaboration and services as needed,” Saenz said. “We hope to get it right from the beginning, but we also ask for patience as we try to develop something new for our community.”
Erin Gentry of Pi-239 Pizzeria can be contacted at gentry1909@hotmail.com
Allan Saenz of SALA Event Center can be contacted at allan@losalamos.com