We Serve Great Food On Pizza Crust — Not Pizza

Jeremy Tand is the owner of a local Fort Collins pizza shop that doesn't restrict itself to just being a pizzeria. Jeremy Tand is creating some of the most unusual and delicious ‘pizzas’ that anyone has ever tasted. I wanted to find out who the man behind the pizza magic truly was. He has pizza sauce flowing through his veins, inspiring his constant dreams of new creations. He wakes up every morning with one task in mind. To create whatever he wants, And serve it on a pizza crust. The Slyce Pizza Co. owner spoke to me over a phone call and discussed his inspirations and joys of the pizza industry.

Tell me a little about your background and how you got started in the pizza world?

“I started working at Ian’s Pizza by the slice in mid 2004 as a job during college at the University of Wisconsin. I rode it through college getting promotions and it led me on my path to wanting to do what they were doing on my own scale.”

When and why did you move to Fort Collins?

“I moved out here in early 2012. I got in a car and drove to Fort Collins. At Ian’s we scouted out Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins over a 5 year period. After Ian’s Pizza decided to not move so far away from home the owner came to me and told me there was no reason to stick around if that’s what I wanted to do. He was very encouraging and helpful during the entire process.”

Why did you chose Fort Collins over Denver and Boulder?

“I decided that if I was to open a pizza place I was going to do it 100 percent where I wanted to live. That was Fort Collins. It was a small town, friendly, the businesses were unique and strong and I felt like it was the right place for me to settle down.”

What drove you to your current location?

“With pizza by the slice I knew it was all about location. I always wanted to do old town, I never wanted to compete in the ‘restaurant graveyard’ that people call Campus West. We wanted a place where not only college kids would love but also with a strong lunch crowd and business all year round.”

What percentage of your business do college students make up?

“About ten percent which is low. Funny story, we actually printed up 250 Frisbee's which had a free slice of pizza coupon on them and littered them around CSU’s campus. We received less than ten back. So we concluded that CSU students don’t know how to read. If I were in Maddison, I would have kids following me around campus picking them right up… Down the road we are moving towards 50 percent of our business coming from college students.”

What makes you better than other pizza places?

“We don’t compare ourselves to other pizza places. The worst thing we could do is be unoriginal. We don’t consider ourselves a pizza place, we’re just serving food that happens to be on pizza crust. We don’t carry pizza toppings. We could easily get rid of pepperonis and mushrooms, we already don’t carry black olives, button mushrooms, banana peppers and green peppers. We serve great food on pizza crust, when you look at it that way you stop worrying about other pizza places and look at other great restaurants in old town to see what they’re doing right.”

What are some of your famous pizza’s then?

“We have the Mac n cheese, steak and French fries, Philly cheese steak, Guacamole burrito which has a black bean and rice base with cheddar cheese and sour cream. We have a great pizza crust that allows us to experiment with other foods. We even had a kangaroo pizza special last year. Since I’ve moved here, the only thing I’ve failed to put on pizza is applesauce. We’ve been playing around with it and trying a lot of different combinations. We do a s’mores pizza and all kinds of special requests. I didn’t know much about kale, but we even have two pizzas with kale now. My mom’s Baked ziti was an inspiration for a pizza too… For as many great pizzas we’ve made I can tell you how many we’ve thrown away.”

Would you say your creation process is always in motion?

“Absolutely, we are always trying to invent a new slice of pizza. I get phone calls, Facebook and Twitter posts, and messages whenever someone sees something crazy. Not necessarily pizza ideas, but I hear from everyone I know all the time.”

What kind of values do you hold as a company?

“We put our quality of food first and foremost, treating our customers and employees right, comes right beside that though. We cook almost everything in the store and buy a lot of product local.”

Do you think you made the right choice with your profession?

“I am a firm believer that if you aren’t happy coming into work you shouldn’t come in. I love what I’m doing, I love making pizzas. I work 135 hours a week and the only way I’m able to do that, is by loving what your doing. There’s no rules. I stretch a pizza dough and I make whatever I want and then I see people enjoy it. This is what I love doing. I couldn’t care less if I can’t go out with my friends on a Saturday night.”

Are you happy with your decision of coming to fort Collins?

“Fort Collins has been a wonderful town. Its been everything I thought it would be, and I love doing what I’m doing.”

What does the ideal restaurant look like for you?

“They have great food, a cool atmosphere and treat me with respect. We take care of our customers and use only the best of quality when it comes to our food.”