Celebrity chef Matty Matheson and Shlomo Butcher will be unveiling a new Maker Pizza location in Thornhill this month. It marks the pair’s fifth location around the city, slowly dominating Toronto’s pizza scene.
Maker Pizza opened its first location in 2015 on Cameron Street, tucked away near Queen and Spadina. It would be an understatement to say that the spot blew up, with fans flocking to the original location for a taste of Matheson’s new venture.
Following the restaurant’s success, Matheson and Butcher opened their second location on Avenue Road near Lawrence West in 2018. Leading into the pandemic, the chefs offered an extensive menu, including pizzas made of three-day aged dough, organic California tomato sauce and fresh cheeses.
Once COVID-19 hit, the pair opted to offer customers a more minimalist menu which saw the former menu reduced to eight items. However, they continued pumping out the classics, which the people loved, leading them out of the pandemic on the right foot.
Now in 2022, Maker Pizza boasts four restaurants, each with its own unique flair – and they’ll be adding Thornhill into the mix. Their menu is broken down into red and white pizza (In reference to the sauce), wings, sandos and appetizers, along with dessert and drinks.
At the top of the most popular list is Dr. Pepperoni, a pizza lover’s dream which includes double pepperoni scattered atop grass-fed mozzarella, toasted fennel powder and their organic tomato sauce beneath. For those wanting something a bit more filling, Napoli Dynamite features a healthy handful of house-made Italian sausage among green olives, candied jalapenos, roasted red peppers and mozzarella with sea salt on top to finish it off.
For those looking to try something more unique, Frank’s Best begins with a smooth white base with their grass-fed mozzarella above. Then, caramelized onions and goat cheese are amplified with rosemary, sea salt and organic honey – all sitting atop a sesame crust bed.
If pizza isn’t really your jam, then don’t worry. Maker’s offers a prime list of buffalo or lemon pepper wings, letting you get down and dirty right beside your pizza-loving friends. Alongside the wings is the bodega sandwich, which has mortadella, ham, smoked turkey and genoa salami all on a freshly baked sesame roll. Not to mention the provolone tomato, white onion, iceberg lettuce, roasted red pepper, pickled jalapeño and pepperoncini that lies underneath.
The rest of the menu consists of some garlic finger appetizers, chopped salads, cookies and a healthy assortment of dips to go alongside your pizzas.
Matheson began to garner his celebrity chef image after he became executive chef of Parts & Labour on Queen Street. From there, Vice Media latched onto the star, allowing him to produce a series called Munchies on their YouTube channel.
An opening date for the Thornhill location hasn’t been announced yet, but it should be any day now. An exact location hasn’t been shared, but the team says the shop will be at the intersection of Bathurst Street and New Westminister.