True to tradition Detroit-style pizza at Abe-Capanna’s in Redmond
Published 12:00 pm Thursday, May 18, 2023
- Abe Capanna's food truck is operated by 8 Hands Hospitality, along with its neighboring food carts Gyro Power and Bluma's Chicken & Waffles.
Detroit-style pizza was born in the 1940s when a bar owner baked a Sicilian pizza in a blue steel pan intended for spare automotive parts. Nearly 80 years later, the style has become a national mainstay and is a tradition carried on exceedingly well by Abe Capanna’s Detroit Pan Pizza food truck.
The food cart “over-proofs” its dough before placing it in a blue steel pan and baking it in an old-school oven. The pies take longer than just a few minutes to prepare but are worth the end result. After placing an order last week, I gave my cell number and received a notification text 20 minutes later.
True to Detroit-style pizza, the rectangular-shaped pie was thick, its dough light and airy, the high-sided edges crisp and caramelized and toppings piled on in reverse order.
The Franklin is Abe Capannas’ second most popular specialty pizza behind The Max (each $18 small/$33 large). Each pie comes in two pan sizes, the smaller which feeds one to two people and the larger which feeds three to four.
The roasted chicken of The Franklin was pressed on first, allowing its flavors to be absorbed by the dough. Smoked gouda and mozzarella were layered on top, followed by red bell peppers and red onions. The finishing touch was two wide streaks of smoky barbecue sauce and fresh cilantro.
Additionally, I ordered The Max on gluten-free crust for a $4 surcharge. The texture of the gluten-free version was thin and crunchy, paling in comparison to the depth of the Detroit-style pizza. However, it was strong enough to hold the plentiful fresh toppings composed of pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, roasted peppers, green bell peppers, onions and a heavy hand of black olives.
Earlier this year, a second location of Abe Capanna’s opened at the Backline Lounge in Redmond’s High Desert Music Hall. Both concepts are operated by 8 Hands Hospitality, a family-owned brand which includes the other two stationary food trucks parked at Crosscut Warming Hut No. 5 — Gyro Power and Bluma’s Chicken & Waffles.
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Founder Cliff Abrahams named 8 Hands Hospitality after the four members of his family, which includes himself, his wife and two kids.
Launching the brand meant taking the family’s fate into their own eight hands and kickstarting a legacy his kids could one day inherit, should they be so inclined, according to the company website.