Caliente Pizza & Draft House Named Official Pizza of The Pittsburgh Marathon
Pittsburgh, PA (February 28, 2023) – Pizza and sports fans in Pittsburgh have a new reason to celebrate as Caliente Pizza & Draft House has been named the Official Pizza of The Pittsburgh Marathon. The announcement comes after an exciting 2022 that included the successful launches of Caliente locations in Acrisure Stadium and PPG Paints Arena, along with being named “The Official Pizza of The Pittsburgh Penguins.”
Caliente is taking their partnership with The Pittsburgh Marathon to the next level by introducing a brand-new pizza inspired by the race. Starting May 1, 2023, the race-inspired pizza will be available at all seven Caliente locations throughout the month of May and leading up to the marathon on May 7.
In addition, runners can enjoy a special discount by showing their bib when they order. The pizza will feature Caliente’s signature crust and be made with only the freshest ingredients to ensure runners can indulge in a delicious meal that will help fuel them for the race ahead.
“We’re excited to offer this race-inspired pizza to runners and the community throughout the month of May,” said Nick Bogacz, owner and founder of Caliente. “Our commitment to quality and excellence will be reflected in every bite, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
Bogacz expressed his excitement about the partnership, stating that the marathon provides an excellent opportunity for them to showcase their love of pizza to the Pittsburgh community and support athletes during their grueling race.
“Caliente Pizza & Draft House is thrilled to be named the Official Pizza of The Pittsburgh Marathon,” said Nick Bogacz. “As a Pittsburgh-based company, we are honored to partner with one of the city’s most iconic events and provide our delicious pizza to the runners and their families and friends.”
The Pittsburgh Marathon is equally excited about the partnership and the prospect of runners enjoying some of the city’s best pizza at the finish line. “We are thrilled to welcome Caliente Pizza & Draft House as the Official Pizza of The Pittsburgh Marathon,” said Jim Popovich, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. “We believe that their passion for quality and commitment to excellence aligns perfectly with the values of our race, and we look forward to a successful partnership.”
This announcement marks another milestone for Caliente, who have been named the Official Pizza of The Pittsburgh Penguins, a partnership that started in 2022.
The promotion is just one of the many ways Caliente is showing their support for The Pittsburgh Marathon and the running community in Pittsburgh. Stay tuned for more exciting updates from Caliente Pizza & Draft House in 2023 and beyond.
PITTSBURGH (Oct. 4, 2021) — For the past nine years, Caliente Pizza & Draft House has prided itself on being among the best spots to find hard-to-source craft beers in the Pittsburgh region. Next on tap? A brew that’s decidedly close to home.
Hazy Dough Dazy (5.3% abv), Caliente’s first self-brewed beer, will be on tap October 15 at all five current locations, and beer aficionados will find it at the regional restaurant’s two new locations when they open their doors. The house brew is a New England IPA brewed with two-row barley, oats and Vienna and wheat malts, bright floral, soft citrus and grapefruit tones, with notes of lychee and tropical fruit in every sip.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Nick Bogacz, Caliente’s owner and founder. “We’ve always been passionate about serving great, hard-to-source craft beers, and now we can share a beer that we’ve brewed ourselves with help from experts and friends in the industry.”
The beer is being released just as Caliente opens its sixth and seventh locations in Sewickley and Crafton in the coming weeks. Customers will get to try the authentic flavors of their beer, while also getting acclimated to Caliente’s new stores. Grand opening information on the new stores, as well as other significant developments, is coming soon.
“We’ve got a lot of big things coming in the next few months, including our 10-year anniversary in 2022,” Bogacz said, “The release of Hazy Dough Dazy is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the new businesses and new relationships with residents in the Sewickley and Crafton areas.”
Caliente invites customers to pair the beer with their award-winning pizza options, including the Mee Maw, which was named Best Pizza in America in 2019. Head Regional Chef Eric von Hansen also brought home accolades this summer with a win for best Non-Traditional Pizza, Northeast Region, at the International Pizza Expo for his Tony Montana pizza, a bison-topped pie. It will be available on a limited basis in the near future.
In addition, for the duration of football season, Caliente is teaming with former Steelers star Santonio Holmes on the MVP Pizza, with a dollar of each sale going to the Super Bowl MVP’s III and Long Foundation.
ABOUT CALIENTE PIZZA & DRAFT HOUSE
Caliente Pizza & Draft House is an award-winning, locally owned and operated pizza restaurant known for its roster of gourmet pizzas and craft beers. Caliente is also known internationally as three-time World Pizza Champions and represents Pittsburgh on the World Pizza Champions Team. In 2019, Caliente Pizza & Draft House earned the title of Best Pizza in America.
PITTSBURGH (June 14, 2021) — The title holders of Best Pizza in America has announced its plans to open two new stores in Sewickley and Crafton. The new locations will be Caliente’s sixth and seventh locations, adding to its current list of neighborhoods including Bloomfield, Mt. Lebanon, Hampton, Aspinwall, and as of 2019, Monroeville.
The new Caliente locations will take over the former Sharp Edge restaurants in Sewickley (510 Beaver Street Rear) and Crafton (288 W. Steuben Street).
Caliente’s owner, Nick Bogacz, has always been an admirer of Sharp Edges’ owner, Jeff Walewski. In a recent interview with Pittsburgh Business Times, Bogacz, said, “we’ll keep the tradition going that Jeff started of bringing and curating great beers from around the world.”
Each Caliente location features a unique beer selection that rotates monthly. Paired with savory food creations from Caliente’s regional chef, Eric Von Hansen and creator of the Best Pizza in America, Sewickley and Crafton communities will soon learn why Caliente is known for its craft beers and gourmet pizzas.
Caliente’s signature gourmet pizzas include the 2019 Best Pizza in America “Mee-Maw,” the Detroit “Red Top” pizza and the Quack Attack, otherwise known as the #1 pan pizza in the world. In March, Caliente released a new menu which includes three chicken sandwiches, new wing sauces and a gourmet vegan pizza.
Nick and Angie Bogacz, the Pittsburgh-native couple who founded Caliente in 2012, have rapidly expanded the restaurant chain throughout the Greater Pittsburgh region since its inception, winning multiple international awards along the way.
“In 2019, we announced our plans to open a new location in Green Tree, but the pandemic had other plans for us,” said Bogacz. “We were honored to work with Jeff Walewski on taking over the Sharp Edge locations, both of which offer optimal kitchen spaces and tap systems so that we can offer our full menu and more than 24 beers on tap at each location.”
The opening date has not been finalized yet, but Caliente is hiring for all positions. Interested applicants can apply by sending their resume to customer.service@worldsbestpizza.com or online at the website here: https://worldsbestpizza.com/apply-to-caliente-pizza-draft-house/
ABOUT CALIENTE PIZZA & DRAFT HOUSE
Caliente Pizza & Draft House, founded in 2012, is an award-winning, locally owned and operated pizza restaurant known for their roster of gourmet pizzas and craft beers. With five locations in the Pittsburgh area, Caliente is also known internationally as three-time World Pizza Champions and represents Pittsburgh on the World Pizza Champions Team. Most recently, Caliente Pizza & Draft House earned the title of Best Pizza in America.
Caliente Pizza is partnering with 412 Food Rescue to deliver pizzas on Saturday, May 22
PITTSBURGH (May 21, 2021) – On Saturday, May 22, Caliente Pizza & Draft House will distribute 125 pizzas in partnership with 412 Food Rescue and PizzaDAO.
PizzaDAO is a community of digital artists creating pizza NFTs. On May 22, PizzaDAO will give away over $500,000 worth of free pizza to throw the World’s Biggest Pizza Party funded through the Rare Pizzas NFTs project. Rare Pizzas raised funds through the sale of collectible digital art contributed by over 314 artists. Money raised was given to local pizzerias and mutual aid organizations across the globe to support local pizzerias that have been hit by the pandemic while connecting artists, developers and pizza lovers who want to give back to independent pizzerias on Bitcoin Pizza Day. Distribution partners within the United States include Slice, The World Pizza Champions, and Slice Out Hunger.
As a member of the World Pizza Champions team, Caliente Pizza will be participating to deliver more than 100 pizzas in partnership with 412 Food Rescue.
“We are thrilled to be able to engage our fleet of volunteer drivers to deliver pizzas directly to organizations that serve the food insecure as part of #FreePizzaDay, in partnership with Caliente Pizza and PizzaDAO,” says Sara Swaney, Vice President of Advancement & Engagement. “Anyone who is interested in volunteering on Saturday can get started by downloading the 412 Food Rescue mobile app available for iOS or Android.”
May 22nd marks the 11-year anniversary of the first Bitcoin transaction, in which Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 bitcoins for two pizzas. Today, one Bitcoin is worth nearly $36,000 USD. According to this news release from Slice, Bitcoin climbed to the highest it’s ever been
at $63,000 last month. At its peak, Laszlo’s two pizzas would be valued at $630 million. What Laszlo paid for two pizzas, could have bought him more than 31 million pies from independent pizzerias through the Slice app.
Participating shops can be found on all seven continents, and PizzaDAO expects to feed more than 25,000 households to celebrate Free Pizza Day on May 22.
When: Saturday, May 22, 2021
Who: Caliente Pizza in partnership with 412 Food Rescue and PizzaDAO
Where: 412 Food Rescue volunteers will pick up pizzas from each Caliente location between 11 and 11:30 a.m. and deliver to its partner organizations across the Pittsburgh region. For those interested in volunteering, please download the 412 Food Rescue mobile app.
How: PizzaDAO sent money to local pizza shops to give out free pizza with proceeds generated from the sale of collectible NFT art. Because Caliente Pizza has five locations in Pittsburgh, it will donate $2,500 worth of pizzas to the Pittsburgh region on May 22.
Why? PizzaDAO is on a mission to help mom and pop pizza shops, artists, pizza lovers and everyone who had a tough year. Over the course of the past two months, Rare Pizzas onboarded over three hundred pizzerias around the world to celebrate Free Pizza Day on May 22, 2021. The pizza shops will be giving away free pizza in their communities. PizzaDAO has also pledged to donate $30,000 to mutual aid organizations that provide services to individuals in need.
To learn more about the project, visit www.rarepizzas.com.
ABOUT CALIENTE PIZZA & DRAFT HOUSE
Caliente Pizza & Draft House is an award-winning, locally owned and operated pizza restaurant known for its roster of gourmet pizzas and craft beers. With five locations in the Pittsburgh area, Caliente is known internationally as three-time World Pizza Champions and represents Pittsburgh on the World Pizza Champions Team. In 2019, Caliente Pizza & Draft House earned the title of Best Pizza in America. For locations and more information, visit www.pizzadrafthouse.com.
ABOUT 412 FOOD RESCUE
Driven by the belief that good food belongs to people, not landfills, 412 Food Rescue launched in Pittsburgh, PA in March 2015 to redirect healthy food from the waste stream to households and nonprofits that serve people experiencing food insecurity. In the United States, as much as 40 percent of food produced is wasted while 1 in 5 people go hungry. The only organization in the Greater Pittsburgh Region focused on food that would otherwise be discarded, 412 Food Rescue addresses both hunger and food waste by mobilizing volunteers to bring surplus food from retail locations to nonprofits serving people in need. The growing team of 10,000+ volunteer drivers, mobilized by the Food Rescue Hero technology platform, has redirected more than 15 million pounds of food in western Pennsylvania, equating to 13.2 million meals and mitigating 8.6 million pounds of CO2 emissions in the process. Locally, the organization works with 800 food retailers and 600 nonprofit partners. Visit 412foodrescue.org for more information.
ABOUT DREAD PIZZA ROBERTS RARE PIZZAS LLC
On May 22nd, 2010, computer programmer Laszlo Hanyecz ordered two pizzas from Papa John’s in exchange for 10,000 bitcoins, marking the first-ever transaction using cryptocurrency. Today, that is the equivalent of more than half a billion dollars. PizzaDAO is a Decentralized Autonomous Organization that emerged from a group of friends who met online. United by a shared love of pizza, art, cryptocurrency and technology, the community has grown organically to include thousands of people from around the world. We are now an LLC in Wyoming. Contact us as hello@rarepizza.com or visit www.rarepizzas.com.
ABOUT WORLD PIZZA CHAMPIONS
Since its inception, the World Pizza ChampionsTM team has grown into a U.S. based non-profit, multinational group made up of elite pizza professionals. Through international competition, educational outreach, public demonstrations, and community-based service the team is dedicated to promoting pizza making as a respected craft and viable career
Caliente Pizza & Draft House announces new menu items for 2021
PITTSBURGH — After months of meticulous planning, Caliente Pizza & Draft House is proud to announce the release of its new menu debuting on March 22.
Chicken is the new pizza at Caliente Pizza & Draft House. With a rise in popularity of chicken sandwiches and the infamous chicken sandwich wars, Caliente wants a piece of the action. The new menu will debut three chicken sandwiches and a chicken parmesan hoagie.
There’s something for everyone at Caliente Pizza’s five locations including Bloomfield, Hampton, Aspinwall, Monroeville and Mt. Lebanon. Vegan fans can now enjoy Caliente’s freshest vegetables and beloved signature dough on a new gourmet pizza topped with a dairy-free, soy free, gluten free and Non-GMO Project Verified Mozzarella cheese.
Returning to the menu is a fan favorite – the Luca Brasi – which was recognized as a finalist at the Trofeo CaputoCup World Championships in Naples, Italy, in September 2019.
The award-winning restaurant releases new menu items every March and regional chef, Eric von Hansen, starts experimenting months in advance.
“I keep a notebook by my bed because too often my ideas come to me at night, “said von Hansen. “I call it ‘mad scientist syndrome’ because I’m constantly experimenting with a dab of this and a dash of that to find that unique combination. With the recent chicken wars, I was inspired to create our own take on the sandwiches by adding the savory Caliente flavors our customers love.”
Below is a complete list of all of the new items available on Caliente’s new menu:
Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
To satisfy those with a spicy side, this breaded chicken sandwich has a bit of a kick to it featuring Nashville hot sauce, pickles and pepper jack cheese, served with a side of tots or fries.
Chicky Chicky Parm Parm Chicken Sandwich
Much like the hoagie, this sandwich contains breaded chicken breast, mozzarella cheese and marina sauce, served with a side of tots or fries. This creation allows Caliente to highlight two significantly different cultures in one dish.
The Company Chicken Sandwich
By incorporating pickles and mayonnaise together inside a bun, this breaded chicken sandwich is a classic rendition of popular chicken sandwiches everywhere. Tots or fries are served as a side as well.
Chicky Chicky Parm Parm Hoagie
To include a popular staple of Italian-American cuisine, this hoagie features a blend of mozzarella and provolone cheese, breaded chicken and marinara sauce.
Forces of Nature
Topped with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, onion, black olives and vegan cheese, this vegetable-lovers pizza features plant-based ingredients that are animal-friendly and come from the earth.
Luca Brasi
This unique creation features Caliente’s signature dough, crushed plum tomato sauce, sweet sausage and a roasted pepper medley made with fresh basil, banana peppers, roasted red peppers, sweety drop peppers, Jalapenos and green chili peppers. Ropped with fresh mozzarella for a tasty spin on the mobster hitman in the Mafia crime classic.
Get Saucy
We’re debuting three new wing sauces – Nashville Hot, Caliente Rub and Salt & Pepper.For those who like their foods extra spicy, Caliente is offering two new take-home sauces, which include the Caliente Hot Pepper Oil for $8.99 and Mike’s Hot Honey for $12.99.
The menu will still include the team’s award-winning pies including the Mee-Maw, recognized as the Best Pizza in America 2019, and the Quack Attack, voted #1 pan pizza in the world.
Chef Eric talks about all of the new menu items on our YouTube page here.
ABOUT CALIENTE PIZZA & DRAFT HOUSE
Caliente Pizza & Draft House is an award-winning, locally owned and operated pizza restaurant known for its roster of gourmet pizzas and craft beers. With five locations in the Pittsburgh area, Caliente is also known internationally as three-time World Pizza Champions and represents Pittsburgh on the World Pizza Champions Team. In 2019, Caliente Pizza & Draft House earned the title of Best Pizza in America. For locations and more information, visit www.pizzadrafthouse.com.
Caliente Pizza & Draft House Named Official Pizza of The Pittsburgh Marathon
PITTSBURGH (Oct. 4, 2021) — For the past nine years, Caliente Pizza & Draft House has prided itself on being among the best spots to find hard-to-source craft beers in the Pittsburgh region. Next on tap? A brew that’s decidedly close to home.