I have always felt like a misfit, an outcast without a tribe. Fortunately, I chose early in life to mostly embrace my deficit of clan status. I spent years invested in far flung travels looking for a geographic location where I felt a sense of connectedness and belonging. I found that feeling in four places: Melbourne and the Yarra Valley (Australia), Kaikoura (New Zealand), Berkeley, California and Athens, Ohio. Due to socioeconomic class, life circumstances, and logistical necessity, Athens is my pragmatic spiritual home. When I feel a need to be centered, I head down SR 33 for a sense of simpatico.
While the foundation for my bond to the area is food, there is much more to this connection than consumables. These are some of the reasons that Athens resonates with me in the order I discovered them: Casa Nueva, Jackie O’s, O’Betty’s, Athens Farmers Market, Miller’s Chicken, West End Ciderhouse / Distillery and Little Fish Brewing Company. Along the way I met the people behind each of these places and became friends with a few of them. However, one connection remains elusive, a self-described “pizza goon” who masterminds Avalanche Pizza. If I had a beer for each person that told me, “You need to meet John,” I’d have more than a six pack.
John Gutekanst, is the goon. The story of his pizza goon call sign dates back many years to a comment made in passing while he was at a pizza competition. This so-called goon went on to win a multitude of contests (including the World Pizza Championship in Salsomaggiore, Italy in 2004 and 2009) and he has likely created more good karma in this world than the anonymous goon-namer lost to time. Gutekanst moved to Athens about the same time my relationship with the area tipped from interest to affinity. In 2000, he took custody of a building on State Street which once housed a Little Caesars Pizza to start Avalanche Pizza.
My guess is many of you watched the six-episode arc of the Netflix series, Chef’s Table: Pizza. If you missed it, make sure to seek out the first episode which features Chris Bianco, of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Arizona. After watching that episode and maybe a few others, please start a letter writing campaign to add a seventh episode to feature Gutekanst. He shares every bit of passion and skill as the pizza makers featured in the series, but as is often the case, Ohio tends to have a stealth capability to culinary radars. The story of the rise of Avalanche Pizza involves much more than pizza dough, it integrates sustainability, community, a passion for culinary exploration and mastery, as well as a good dose of off-beat humor. I hope all of these elements inspire you to make the drive to Athens to experience the pizza goon’s creations.
There are several things that make Avalanche different from a typical pizza business. Most ingredients are sourced from local suppliers, including locally-grown and milled spelt grains for the dough / crust. Feta cheese is sourced from the goats and cheesemakers at Integration Acres just outside of town. Kernza, an edible wheat substitute that truly has the power to transform sustainable agriculture, is grown at a local farm and finds its way into some of Gutekanst’s creations. The business actively hires people with disabilities and makes meaningful donations to area charities. As for the New York style pizza offered by the pie and by the slice, the dough is cold fermented for 60 hours, then hand-tossed, layered with fresh, house-made Italian marinara and aged mozzarella, and finally cooked at 600 degrees in a brick oven. This is a dedication to craft that deserves your attention.
In addition to the original location on State Street, there is a newer concept called the Slice House on Union Street, strategically positioned near a bike trail / walkway adjacent to the Hocking River. The menu at Slice House is smaller and the hours are a bit challenged on the weekends, but the excursion is worth the homage. The pizza offerings are scaled down to the New York variety, but this site seems to excel in sandwich experimentation. This is also where I seem to be able to secure cannoli most consistently. Gutekanst also bakes breads and some other doughy creations for the Athens Farmers Market where his wares are different from what you can find at the pizzerias.
The main / original Avalanche Pizza is not a place to slide off the radar, the number of choices on the menu feels like a deluge to most customers. There are over 50 topping options to choose from and over 30 specialty pizzas to be beguiled by. In addition to pizza there are sandwiches (not subs), salads, two types of cheese bread, the best breadsticks I have enjoyed from a pizzeria, a few desserts and a wide selection of gluten-free options. The sandwiches are called Boulders. These triple-decker toasted buns weigh a pound and a half after they are loaded up with a variety of ingredients. The standard dessert is tiramisu and on occasion I spy a cannoli at the grab-and-go counter.
There are too many specialty pizzas for me to describe, but I will detail the two I have tried most often. The crust of the specialty pizzas is dense, chewy and flavorful. It does not have a crust ring, but it features what I call a crust wall: a 90 degree angled crust edge about ½ inch high that keeps the toppings from falling off or blowing away.
My most frequent flier is the Skeletonwitch. The base is a Venetian thin crust, with a spicier than expected marinara sauce, and a generous amount of shredded mozzarella/provolone blended together with a dash of asiago cheese. On top is Genoa salami, pepperoni, ricotta cheese and sweet pineapple chunks, finished with a few swirls of their (not too) Spicy Ninja sauce.
My other go-to is the Godzilla (winner of the Best Pizza in the U.S.A award at the World Pizza Championship in Salsomaggiore, Italy). This thin crust pizza mixes blanched spinach, feta cheese, roasted (locally-sourced) chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and provolone conjoined on top of marinara sauce. I like how this pizza blends flavors and textures. It alternates from chewy to crunchy. It leans vegetarian with a subversive, carnivorous twist in the form of occasional bites of chicken.
My exemplar of cannoli is Mike’s Pastry in Boston. The closest I have come to alternate cannoli happiness is the chocolate chip cannoli in the carryout case at the Slice House. A good cannoli is hard to come by as it demands a battle of balances; the dough should be neither too chewy nor too brittle. The outer shell should yield when you bite it and blend in with the fillings without exploding into shards and manufacturing a mess. The Slice House cannoli was close enough to this criteria for my liking.
I am still trying to figure out my relationship with the Italian buns at the Slice House. They are delicious, however, what I wanted from them would be modeled on the Italian beef sandwich found at Johnny’s in Chicago. Such was not the case, but what I did dispatch was a pleasing sandwich with a light au jus and an adjoining pepperoncini pepper. I also tried my first Avalanche interpretation of the New York slice at the Slice House and found them worthy. I authentically ate mine al fresco and folded.
My most recent discovery was the standard cheese bread and bread sticks. Both were far above standard. I ordered these when I was worried we would not have enough food for our group encamped in the Hocking Hills. With more children present than adults, I wanted something safe that was likely to be kid-friendly. Both were a hit and consumed quickly like fresh prey by a pack of wolves. Another unexpected bonus with this chance encounter was the container of marinara for the breadsticks (flavorful and fresh) and the impulsive, employee directed add-on of the basil pesto dipping sauce. I could not find enough things to add the basil pesto to over the weekend, including an impromptu breakfast burger sandwich (eggs, cheese, bacon, a leftover burger patty, toasted bread) I created the next morning. The lesson here – just get the dipping sauces.
A notable but not fully understood aspect of Avalanche is the humor infused in the marketing of the business. To add some life to the purposely bland brown delivery boxes (to save our planet from bleached box toxins and make recycling easier), are an ever-changing series of flyers most often referred to as “Pizza Incidents.” These blend a mix of specials, new item alerts and Paul Bunyan-esque tales that are likely to leave a few scratching their heads, but I appreciate their creativity and subtle subversiveness.
If you are looking for an excuse to head to Avalanche Pizza, I have outlined more than a baker’s dozen justifications. The food is just one slice from the pie of reasons to appreciate the business. Athens is not as far as you think and there are plenty of other things, food-focused or otherwise, to occupy your day, weekend or lifetime. And, yes, you should meet John.
For more on Avalanche Pizza and Slice House, visit avalanchepizza.net.
All photos by Jim Ellison