A fully functioning pizzeria is operating out of the trunk of a bright green Smart Car parked on NYC streets.
The mobile setup, known as Pizza Pod NYC, somehow manages to squeeze a stone-fired pizza oven, prep station, stacks of pizza boxes, and fresh ingredients into the tiny vehicle. The unconventional setup has naturally drawn plenty of bewildered onlookers, many of whom stop to ask the same question: How on earth is a commercial pizza oven running out of a car?
Decades of experience
The chef behind the ambitious project is Bradley Alvelo, a Bronx native who has been cooking professionally for 20 years. Despite his extensive background, which includes formal culinary school training where he says his Bronx roots made him wonder if he was “too much” for the environment, Pizza Pod NYC required a completely new approach to food service.
The concept began as a small-scale test with a menu limited to just three pies. Today, the operation serves a variety of 12-inch stone-fired pizzas. “It’s actually not easy,” Alvelo admitted, acknowledging the logistical hurdles of running a kitchen out of a vehicle designed for tight parking rather than food preparation. “I know I can make anything reality. I’ve proven that to myself over and over again.”
A group effort
To make the tiny footprint work, the pizzeria relies heavily on a network of support from other local businesses. Alvelo utilizes partnerships across the city to secure essential prep space, specifically for holding and proofing his pizza dough before loading it into the Smart Car for service.
Once parked, the trunk pops open to reveal a custom shelving unit for pizza boxes, a small countertop for stretching dough and spreading toppings, and the high-heat oven that bakes the pies to order right on the sidewalk. Customers who initially stop to question the unusual setup are frequently won over by the final product, with passersby regularly noting the high quality of the freshly baked slices.
Pizza Pod NYC splits its weekly schedule between two main locations. At least two days a week, the green car is parked in Hell’s Kitchen at the corner of 54th Street and 10th Avenue. Another two days are spent stationed outside Round Table Brewery at 245 S 1st Street in Brooklyn, proving that Alvelo’s custom vehicle can bring fresh pizza anywhere in the city.