Pizza in the Raw offers a slice of novelty in old-town Kaimuki

KAIMUKI—There is a new local pizzeria in the heart of Kaimuki’s Waialae district. It is a cheerful, brightly colored, and inviting space, with several stools placed along the counter-lined window. Thing is, no one eats at that counter; it is simply the spot where you wait for your custom pizza to be prepared. 

You see, Pizza in the Raw has no oven, hence the name. It is not a restaurant, but rather a site of pizza design and preparation, leaving the actual baking to be done on the customer’s timetable.

Owners Bill and Susan Bruhl promise perfectly piping hot pizza right out of your own oven, offering a tasty alternative to pizzas baked well ahead of their delivery or pickup time only to arrive on the plate cold. Although take-and-bake pizza is hardly a new phenomenon on the mainland, this is the first example of such a business in Hawaii, apart from lackluster pre-made supermarket or Costco pies.

Last Thursday, after several people in town urged I try it, I stopped by to pick up dinner for my family and a few friends. My immediate concern was where to park. Street parking is tight on Waialae Avenue and there is no parking in the rear of the store. There is usually ample parking in the nearby self-pay lots, though walking back to the car with pizzas, a salad, and dessert with two kids in tow was not an attractive prospect either. I wish I had known then what I learned upon entering: call in your order, pay with plastic, and Pizza in the Raw will take the pizza out to your car. 

In my view, a business like this is largely about convenience. While asking someone to bake their own pizza greatly diminishes the convenience factor, telling them they don’t have to leave their car to pick up their pie immediately restores much of what was lost. Pizza in the Raw should really play up this service, as it could be central to their success.

On the other hand, had I not gone into the store, I would not have been able to talk story with the garrulous owner, Bill, and hear his humble goals for the operation: to be “the newest, freshest, and best pizza in Hawaii.” He is doing several things to set him apart from the rest of the pizza pack. For one, he is committed to sourcing the best ingredients possible. Anything that he can procure locally he does, because as a veteran Hawaii chef—he used to own Blue Water Grill in Hawaii Kai—he knows that the tastiest and freshest ingredients are those grown here.

As a local, family-run small business, he wants to offer a premium product at a reasonable price point, appealing to those in the community who want a wholesome meal but do not have the time or inclination to make it themselves; a demographic that describes many of Kaimuki’s young families. He aims to achieve this goal by not baking the pizza on site and therefore slashing his overhead costs by passing those savings onto the consumer. Other business practices worthy of note include his commitment to using Styrophobia packaging whenever possible and hiring people with special needs.

His wife, Susan, is a sign-language interpreter, and with the help of Hawaii Centers for Independent Living’s job coaches, have employed many people who are deaf or disabled. The idea is that this policy helps the community by integrating people into the economy who are capable of working this kind of job but have not yet had an opportunity.

There was a steady flow of customers that evening, mostly newcomers trying to navigate the choices. Bill offers a great special to encourage those who have a hard time deciding or branching out from their usual toppings selection: a half and half speciality pizzas for $13 (in contrast to $17 for a regular speciality pizza). The only catch is that he picks that day’s combination. Featured that evening was the “International Pizza”—half Hawaiian, half Greek. I also ordered the spinach and garlic pizza on a whole wheat crust (to compare against the “traditional” variety in the other pie), which I rounded out with one of his specialty salads and a pound of “cookies in the raw.” 

The shrink-wrapped pizza come with baking instructions that are very straightforward but hardly fool proof. I thought that I followed them to a tee but still felt the pizzas were underbaked and needed more time. Since all ovens are different, customers will have to accept some trial and error before they find the magic time and temperature. It is crucial to let the pizza “rest” before slicing it—not always an easy feat with a hungry family clamoring around. 

The salads he offers serve as a nice starter or accompaniment, depending on the urgency of your hunger. The spinach salad features baby spinach, fresh strawberries, candied almonds, and a vinegar dressing. The candied almonds were absolutely delicious. My primary complaint is that there were not enough strawberries. I also would suggest some local goat cheese to temper the highly acidic dressing. Also available are a Garlicky Caesar, an Italian Chop Chop, and Mesclun Greens, ranging in price from $7 to $12.

After eating the pizza, my tasting buddies and I decided that pizza lovers fall into two camps. The first group could be called purists. They prefer simplicity and often privilege a good crust above all else. This group is more likely to favor a place like J.J. Dolan’s, which offers a solid East Coast style pie. The other group prioritizes novelty and quality of ingredients, and might be more likely to gravitate towards CPK.

Pizza in the Raw is more likely to appeal to the CPK set, with it’s creative flavor combinations such as “B.L.T.,”  “Buffalo Chicken,” and “The Whole Enchilada.” What distinguishes it from CPK, apart from the bake-it-yourself concept, is the quality and freshness of the locally sourced ingredients.

The Greek Chicken, for example, had a lot going on—sun dried tomato pesto, olive oil, chicken, oregano, feta cheese, banana peppers, and kalamata olives—but the flavors managed to complement each other rather than competing for attention. The same goes for the Hawaiian pizza, which, although I’ve always had a weakness for the sweet and salty thing that the combination of fruit and pork provides, surprised me with how it took this popular combination to the next level. The key to his success is his clever use of Kukui pineapple portuguese sausage in addition to bacon, four cheeses, sweet onion, and of course, fresh pineapple. Undeniably tasty, it appeals to kids and adults alike. 

The Spinach and Garlic pie, by contrast, is a more classic combination. Although the white sauce was well balanced and the spinach fresh, there seemed to be too much cheese, which congealed in an unpleasant way after sitting around for several minutes. We opted for the whole wheat crust for that variety, which had a nice flavor yet lacked a certain toothsomeness that probably resulted from being baked in my poor excuse for an oven.

As far as the cookies were concerned, I was undeniably disappointed. The kids thoroughly enjoyed them, but they tend not to be too discerning when it comes to sweets. We selected the chocolate chip with butterscotch variety, and they came out of the oven a strange dark color, with almost a green tint, though they were by no means overcooked. In addition to their off-putting color, they lacked flavor. Though I understand the logic of selling cookie dough—the customer has his oven on anyway, so why not—it seems like it would be relatively easy to prepare something dazzling, a cookie so scrumptuous that it would gather its own followers and send people back to try additional varieties of pizza. 

Speaking to the question of value, $17 may seem like a lot of money for something that still requires work. $17 is roughly what a larger, already cooked pizza costs at Whole Foods, which, according to Bruhl, do not offer hand-stretched and tossed dough. Compare Pizza in the Raw with Boston’s or Pizza Hut, and the toppings of the latter two pale in comparison. However, if there is a third camp of pizza lovers, then that would be the folks who will happily consume cardboard, provided it is cheap and convenient.

Pizza in the Raw is not for the instant-gratification set. The pizzas sold there are gourmet pies for health-conscious people who like to make their own pizza but are short on time. For a plain cheese pizza ($11), the value might not be apparent, but for a specialty pie involving half a dozen gourmet ingredients that would cost someone a lot to purchase individually, it begins to make more sense economically. Combine that with the appeal of supporting a locally-owned business that is looking to give back to the community, not to mention the novelty factor, and the Bruhls may just have a recipe for success.

Pizza in the Raw
3620 Waialae Ave
Honloulu, Hi 96816
(808)73-PZRAW
(808) 737-9729