Two Houston hospitality veterans are teaming up to open a family friendly, delivery-focused pizzeria in the Heights. Set to open in late January, Shredders Pizza will New York-style pies and affordable wines for dine, delivery, and to-go.
Located in the former Chicago Italian Beef & Pizza space at 1777 Airline Drive, Shredders unites Benjy Mason (Johnny’s Gold Brick, Winnie’s, Starduster) with chef Jason Kerr, who operates Jersey Village eatery Little Kitchen. Houston food obsessives may recall Kerr’s time as the owner of the Zilla Eats food truck or as Monica Pope’s sous chef at pioneering Houston restaurant Boulevard Bistro. Kerr and Mason formed a friendship when they worked together in the kitchen at Down House.
Mason tells CultureMap that, as a parent, he needs a reliable delivery pizza that’s better than a national chain but isn’t as sophisticated as what’s being produced by Houston's artisan pizzerias, which don’t always travel well or have flavors that appeal to kids. When Kerr told Mason he was already developing a casual pizzeria, Mason says he agreed to partner with him if they opened in the Heights and used the name “Shredders” (more on that below).
Since its focused on delivery and to-go, Shredders will only have seating for about 15 people. Easy mobile ordering will appeal to busy parents, a group that Mason considers himself part of.
“Where my needs lie is that delivery pizza option,” Mason tells CultureMap. “I wanted to focus on nailing that first. I want the delivery to be as smooth as possible. That’s why we’re doing it in house. I want it to be a hospitality-focused delivery experience.”
The Pizza
Kerr’s pizza dough uses a mix of King Arthur flour and whole wheat flour from Texas’ Barton Springs Mill. Fermented for 24-36 hours and baked in a traditional pizza oven, a Shredders pizza is intended to be light and crispy with “enough structure to eat around the table or on the couch,” according to a release.
“It’s not exactly New York. Maybe closer to New Haven,” Kerr said in a statement. “Honestly, it’s just the pizza I like to make and my family likes to eat.”
All pizzas use Grande Mozzarella and an uncooked tomato sauce. Shredders will serve familiar favorites such as cheese and pepperoni pizzas as well as house specials such as:
- Sausage and Pepa: Cooked-from-raw Italian sausage, green peppers, and pickled tear-drop peppers
- Jason the Dragon: Hot honey, arugula, whipped ricotta, and parmesan
- That’s A Spicy Pepperoni: Cup ’n’ char pepperonis, Calabrian chile sauce, and roasted and pickled jalapeños.
In addition, proceeds from one specialty pie — sometimes created in collaboration with a guest chef — will benefit the Southern Smoke Foundation, while proceeds from another seasonal pizza will rotate between local PTOs and kids’ arts programs.
“It’s crispy and will fold,” Mason adds. “When you fold it, you get a crack, but it won’t crack all the way through.”
The menu will also include wings, a couple of salads, garlic knots, and a dessert sourced from Little Kitchen and its companion dessert shop, Eat My Pastry.
The Wine
One other aspect of Shredders that will appeal to parents is its affordable wines. Mason has created a list of approximately 20 bottles of Italian wine that will be priced between $20 and $25.
“We’re going for an absurdly low markup. We’re not working on the same math as a sit down restaurant. Wines that would be $30-40 on someone else’s menu will be $20-25,” Mason says.
“Being able to drink an affordable bottle of wine on a Tuesday or Wednesday is personally appealing to me,” he adds.
Turning to the name, it hints at the sort of 90s nostalgia that Shredders is conjuring. Obviously, cooks shred cheese before it goes on pizza. “Shredding” is also something a skateboarder or guitar play might do. Of course, fans of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will immediately think of Shredder, the pizza-obsessed group’s nemesis, when they hear the word.
In the ultimate test, Mason served served Shredders’ pizza to his children at a recent preview event. “My daughter said, ‘it’s pretty good,’” Mason says with a laugh. He assures everyone that’s high praise coming from her.
