After working music festivals and pop-ups for few years, Will Fagg, a former Hopkins operating room nurse turned self-professed pizza nerd, opened TinyBrickOven in 2019. He had a bunch of loyal regulars, but it still wasn’t enough to sustain the business. And it didn’t help that he was having issues acquiring a liquor license in bar-hopping Federal Hill. So, last December, Fagg decided to call it quits.

“I had tried everything possible but still was not making any money,” he says. “I was going to close on Christmas Day and tell my regulars, ‘Please come in for free pizza,’ so I could give a sweet goodbye.”

That is, until social media celebrity and Barstool Sports One Bite Pizza reviewer, Dave Portnoy, wandered in for a cheese pizza just 12 days before closing.

“I had been wanting this guy to show up for four years,” says Fagg, who actively encouraged customers to recruit Portnoy on social media. And with good reason. Portnoy is essentially the fairy godfather of pizza joints. A single visit from him can turn around the fortunes of any struggling business. “His timing was incredible and all these emotions were running though my head. I started  thanking him for all the grants he gave to local businesses to help them stay open during the pandemic—we just connected.”

As per One Bite Pizza tradition, Fagg made Portnoy a cheese pizza to-go. Portnoy stepped outside the Light Street shop to record his reaction. After taking a few bites, he turned straight to the camera and said, “There’s no way this place should be going out of business.”

On the spot, he offered Fagg $60,000 to help him get through another year (donations later poured in, including $10,000 from New York hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman).

“This is wild,” said Fagg when the moment was captured on camera. “I am going to cry.”

(To date, the video of Portnoy’s visit to TinyBrickOven has nearly 600,000 views on YouTube.)

Now that Fagg has had time to dry his tears and is back in business (and busier than ever), we caught up with him one morning as he taught us how to make pizza.

Why did you decide to make pizza your specialty?
I was an Airbnb host long ago and had bartended at the Washington Hilton. I got the idea from working there—food and beverage were an important part of the hotel. And since I was running my own hotel with Airbnb, in my limited-budget way, I tried to have my own little Hilton.

In the beginning, I had cookouts with burgers and dogs from Sam’s Club. But as Airbnb became more mainstream, we started getting hosts who were more affluent. By then I was a “super host” and had hundreds of five-star ratings. When that happened, I realized my little Hilton was not keeping up with the food and beverage options. For a year, I thought about what kind of food I could make that would be more upscale, so I started cooking pizza in my backyard on an oven I built myself.

How did you become such an expert?
My first foray into making pizza started with this high-temperature oven, which is what you need for making great Neapolitan crusts. I had this book, The Pizza Bible by Tony Gemignani, I checked out of the library, because I was so broke at that point—it was like $26 on Amazon. At the beginning of that book, he mentions a three-day dough master class that he offers. But if you want to go take the master class at his studio kitchen in California, it’s like $9,000. Being broke, but having access to YouTube, I figured I’d do the master class on my own.

So, what is the secret to making a great pizza?
You add the right amount of sauce using fresh-packed canned tomatoes that have been canned within four hours of being harvested, plus Jersey tomatoes with extra garlic and spices, and cheese—we use a part-skim and whole-milk mozzarella blend and you bake it for the right amount of time using a deck oven with a pizza stone on the bottom so it’s really crispy. When you do it that way, using the right ingredients, you are following the traditions and recipes that Italians have been using for hundreds of years. It’s going to come out like a New York slice.

Tell me about the cheese you use.
We use what’s called an “East Coast blend.” When you bake the cheese at 550 degrees for six minutes, there’s a little bit of separation and you get this orange oil on top like most New York pizza. That’s from the beta carotene that’s in the grass the cows eat—it gets expressed from the oil in the cheese when you bake it. But if you look at Papa Johns’ cheese, they’ve added sugar cane fiber into the cheese mix—the wood pulp in the cheese absorbs the grease so the cheese stays white.

How did you perfect the oven that you first built?
I saw this propane-powered pizza oven at Home Depot. It was not that expensive, it just looked kind of pathetic, so I went home and did research and read Amazon reviews. People were saying that it didn’t get hot enough to make the crust.

I decided to build my own version of it. I took apart an old Weber grill, put fire bricks in the lid, a pizza stone below, and used this weed burner, so you could basically turn it into a blacksmithing tool to melt steel. It was way more powerful than we needed for a pizza oven but I got it up to 900 degrees—that’s a great temperature for making Neapolitan pizza.

You were a nurse long before becoming a pizza maker. Is there a connection between nursing and making pizza?
Nursing and pizza share this great history—things get passed down through tradition.

What has your comeback story taught you?
I was excited we could shine a positive light on Baltimore and be a story of resilience—there are a lot of resilient people in this city.

OPEN

Sophomore Coffee: This inviting coffee shop is the latest concept to debut at Socle—the Old Goucher food and beverage complex from the team behind W.C. Harlan and Clavel. Joining natural wine bar Fadensonnen and yet-to-open cafe Larder, Sophomore Coffee will offer a single-origin house drip, espresso drinks, and flash brew options when it officially opens its doors to the public this Saturday, April 13. Owners Kris Fulton and Ann Travers Fortune, two of the original founders of Charmington’s in Remington, created the inclusive space with amenities for working, an area for small gatherings, retail shelves stocked with goods from Hunting Ground in Hampden, and a courtyard shared with Fadensonnen.

The inclusive vibe goes along with the shop’s mission to combat the snobby stigmas in coffee culture: “If there isn’t an overarching energy that promotes discovery and learning, it can be very off-putting,” Fulton told us last summer. “But if you create an environment that is inviting, people are going to feel comfortable taking that journey with you.” 2223 Maryland Ave.

The Urban Oyster: In only a few short months, chef/owner Jasmine Norton has transformed the old Ruby 8 space in Locust Point from a trendy sushi spot into a bright, airy homebase for her seafood pop-up The Urban Oyster. Boasting white walls, pops of bronze, and beautiful oyster canvas paintings by Annapolis artist Kim Hovell, the McHenry Row eatery will offer Norton’s famous raw and chargrilled oysters alongside other oceanic fare. Officially debuting on Friday, April 12, the spot will feature shrimp tacos, burgers topped with crab dip, fried cod sandwiches, and a hyper-local drink menu. (Look out for cans of Union Skipjack, a rosé spritzer from Old Westminster Winery, and cocktails curated by local bartender Aaron Joseph.) “A lot of things we’re incorporating in our menu are from local businesses that have opened their platforms for us to do pop-ups in the past,” Norton says. “It’s nice that we now have the opportunity to return the favor.” 1704 Whetstone Way.

Akira Ramen & Izakaya: From barbecue bites to Greek gyros, The Shops at Canton Crossing already offers plenty of dining diversity. But this week, the development added even more to love with the premiere of this Rockville-based ramen spot. Now operating in soft-opening mode, Akira’s second location specializes in steamy bowls filled with house-made noodles, bean sprouts, scallions, pork, fish cakes, eggs, and Wood Ear mushrooms. The menu also offers other snacks like pork gyoza, vegetable spring rolls, and yellowtail carpaccio. 3501 Boston St.

Garden Party: Now that it’s finally starting to feel like spring, it’s high time that this outdoor bar made its return to The Rotunda in Hampden. The team behind Avenue Kitchen & Bar has officially reopened Garden Party, which debuted last summer and quickly became a go-to for adults in need of a refresher while watching little ones run around the Rotunda’s green space. Returning menu highlights include Avenue Kitchen’s signature frosé, wines by the glass, Orange Crushes, crab cakes, charcuterie, and salads. 711 W. 40th St.

TinyBrickOven: This new Federal Hill pizza shop gives the term “fast-casual” a whole new meaning. Owner Will Fagg fires up the artisan pies using his titular invention—a portable brick oven that cooks personal-size pizzas in less than two minutes. Taking over the former home of Grilled Cheese & Co. on Light Street, the spot offers customizable vegan and non-vegan pizzas, as well as authentic gelato. Save room for flavors including strawberry, pistachio, dulce de leche, and vegan vanilla. 1036 Light St.

COMING SOON

Raw Bar: Canton locals will be happy to hear that the former Boathouse space at Tindeco Wharf is getting reactivated this summer. Pending liquor board approval, the team from Bond Street Social and Barcocina in Fells Point will be opening this new seafood spot on the dockside property, which features a massive outdoor patio and modern-industrial interior. According to a statement from Bond Street Social general manager Shane Gerken, Raw Bar will offer fresh takes on seafood dishes in an “upscale, yet approachable social environment.” 2809 Boston St.

EPICUREAN EVENTS

4/12: Harbor Market Kickoff
This seasonal lunch market, which assembles at McKeldin Square on Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., is starting up three weeks earlier than usual this year. Launching in conjunction with Maryland Food Truck Week, the inaugural event will feature free food samples, live music, dessert options, and, of course, plenty of outdoor lawn games to make your lunch break feel more like recess. Throughout the season, be on the lookout for food trucks including Farm to Charm, The Smoking Swine, Mexican on the Run, The Green Bowl, Wild Thyme, and more. 101 E. Pratt St.

4/13: Wild Kombucha UpBeet Flavor Release Party
It’s been an exciting year for this local kombucha purveyor, which recently moved into a new 13,000-square-foot production space in northwest Baltimore and is now distributing across the Mid-Atlantic. To celebrate its latest flavor UpBeet—fermented with organic beets apple, ginger, and lime juice—the brand is teaming up with Mouth Party Caramel and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to host a celebration at Mobtown Ballroom this weekend. Swing by to sip UpBeet cocktails while enjoying eats from Pablo’s Toc O’s and live music by Bedlam Brass. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s mission to reduce pollution in our waterways. Mobtown Ballroom, 861 Washington Blvd. 7-11 p.m. $12

SHUT

Smoke: When this Cockeysville spot landed on the scene four years ago, it quickly became known for putting a creative spin on classic barbecue. Chef Josh White captivated diners—not only with his catchy music videos promoting daily specials—but also with frequent pop-ups and fingerlickin’ fare including sticky spare ribs and smoked wings with thyme bleu cheese. Sadly, Smoke served its final meal last week. “The decision to close was not an easy one, and comes with a very heavy heart,” White and co-owner Hope Seidl announced last week. “We are trying to focus on all the happiness we were able to bring our community over the last 3.5 years, rather than on how heartbreaking it truly is.” The post goes on to thank the local dining community for its support, and teases that this won’t be the last we see of Smoke in the future. “This is not goodbye,” the owners write. “This is thank you, we love you, and we’ll see you later.”