Connect
To Top

Meet Caleb Schiff of Pizzicletta in Flagstaff

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb Schiff.

Caleb, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Travel opened my eyes to something new that I never thought was a possibility. Growing up I never considered being a chef or having a career in the hospitality industry serving others. I was fortunate to attend a great high school that prepared me for college and then post grad studies. I grew up a Boy Scout and loved the outdoors. As such, I pursued a career in geology as a way to mix my love for mountains with a career.

After undergraduate school at the University of Colorado and Indiana University, I moved to Flagstaff for a job and a grad position at NAU. I was a hard worker and got my MS in Geology done in a year and a half after which I began a full time position at NAU. During my time as a grad student, I got the opportunity to travel to Iceland and from there it was a very cheap flight to mainland Europe. It was 2007 and I was wrapping up my thesis. I had little money but some time and needed a break.

So I hauled my bike around Iceland on a week long field excursion with a couple of dozen other geologists. Iceland was amazing and at the conference, I presented my MS thesis which focused on the link between diatoms in lake sediments and climate in Alaska. Despite my love of mountains, I was drawn to studying and contributing to climate change science.

During that presentation a professor that first got me interested in climate science as a freshman at CU blew my thesis apart, identifying misinterpretations and suggesting a different conclusion. While I was devastated at the moment, it was such a great thing… To be humbled in front of your peers and by one of the mentors you respect most. It created resilience. I think it was also an omen.

Still feeling deflated I went along my trip to Italy with my bike where I rode for two weeks in northern and central Italy. Perhaps it was a bit escapist but it was exactly what I needed. On day two, after a 120 mile ride between Milano and Verano, I had my first wood-fired pizza and it blew my mind. I was in love with Italy with that first pizza and with another 13 days of travel, the Italo-phile in me only grew stronger.

The trip went on to be one of the best experiences of my life and I returned to Flagstaff refreshed and crushed the tail end of my MS work. I was easily able to recognize where my research needed correcting and followed through to a MS thesis I am still very proud of. NAU thought it was good too and I rolled right from grad school to a full time position in the geology department.

Soon after I bought a home in Flagstaff and since this was the first time in my life I owned the place I lived in I had to have a project. My memory of my Italy trip as well as my love to cook for friends made the decision easy… I’d build a wood-fired oven in my backyard.

It took about three months and once completed all I could think and do was make pizza and hone in the perfect pizza recipe. I had pizza parties nearly every weekend equally for the social aspect as it was another excuse to make more pizza and test out my most recent tweaks to the recipe (many spreadsheets were involved). Slowly, I realized I loved to make food for others. It brought a level of gratification that spending months writing a research grant or paper that only a handful of people around the world would ever read couldn’t do. This revelation scared me… I’d gone to school for 6+ years to be a geologist but now I wanted to throw all that out the window to pursue a non-traditional career that I was never prepared for.

In June 2010 I quit NAU to pursue opening Pizzicletta. The departure allowed me to work full-time at another restaurant in town to become better acquainted with the industry and to spend all my free time planning my dream of opening a Neapolitan pizzeria in Flagstaff.

I returned to Italy in Oct 2010 for a 40 day bike trip. This trip was very intentional… It would provide much needed research about Italian culture and food, allow me to take a deep breath from a difficult break up and before opening a restaurant and finally it would solidify my story of Pizzicletta (pizza + bicicletta… How travel inspired a restaurant concept).

In July 2011 I opened Pizzicletta. It was thrilling. It was (and is) hard work. It’s everything I had wished for and more. The menu, setting and were and are very intentional; I want to create experiences, not just transactions. Our communal seating (rare at that time), open kitchen, intimate space and simple menu were things not done in Flagstaff. The pizza too was distinct and remains so to this day.

I opened our second location in Flagstaff in April 2019 after many offers to head to Phoenix, Sedona and beyond. The restaurant has its personality located inside Dark Sky Brewing and it’s been a huge hit with the community.

I feel incredibly fortunate for making the career change in 2010 and have many AZ locals and travelers to thank for the success I’ve experienced in the infancy of my second career.

Has it been a smooth road?
This question made me think of Robert Frost’s poem, the Road Not Taken, which is one of my favorite poems because it speaks to me in so many avenues of life and very much so for Pizzicletta. Recall I had a great job at NAU with full benefits and was making more money than I had ever before. The recession had just happened and I was underwater on my home mortgage. Opening Pizzicletta was far from reasonable but I had to do it.

This brought many challenges as I was 1) not a chef and 2) knew nothing about running a business. Challenges presented around every corner and I credit my science degree to get me through it. Being ignorant of the challenges and the industry allowed me to see a problem and solve it with the facts I was facing. My critical thinking skills from an education in science led me to solutions that were unconventional for the industry and is one reason we are thriving as a company.

For example, it’s a misbelief that I trained and learned to make pizza in Italy during my travels. Nope, I just biked around and ate a ton. During that time I did come to realize what pizza characteristics I wanted to bring to Flagstaff but I was never given a recipe nor instruction. I worked backward to create the pizza I wanted to serve via trial and error and documenting all the recipe changes I was making. Now, we make a pizza that involves a prep and fermentation cycle that is not rational to many pizzerias but it is what makes us distinct.

Tell us more about the business.
We create experiences at Pizzicletta. We just happen to also make great food. My goal every night is to ensure our guests walk away feeling that the experience was worth the price and that they want to tell all their family and friends about it. To turn a restaurant transaction into an experience we combine distinct pizza with entertainment. The former is done by making a dough that is exceptional and distinct meanwhile using fresh, organic ingredients, and the latter is done by setting the intention of the space. We have a small space with an open kitchen. The seating is communal. The ingredients are visible. The menu is transparent.

We also want to create a great workplace. While this could be viewed as misguided, I spend more time thinking about how to make Pizzicletta a great workplace before I think about it is a great dining place. If I am successful in making it a great workplace, my employees will deliver on the experience for our customers.

I’m most proud of our resilience as we grow. My staff and I adapt quickly to growth and maintain a healthy lifestyle. After all, that is why many people live in Flagstaff and I encourage our staff to have a life outside of work. What’s the point otherwise?

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
At times I’ve worried the Flagstaff food scene is getting saturated and some of the signs are showing with recent closures as well as restaurants going un-opened (i.e. construction starts but does not finish). The minimum wage will be at $15/hour here and this will further make operating a restaurant in Flagstaff that much harder.

Meanwhile, Flagstaff will grow. The university and quality of life here will continue to attract residents and customers. I am confident in the industry and I think the competitiveness will allow the cream to rise to the top and I think in 5-10 years the quality of food and experiences will be better than ever and some of the best in the state. I am confident we’ll be apart of that scene and I look forward to dining at those upcoming chef-driven restaurants.

Pricing:

  • pizzas are $14-$16

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in