TOPPING IT ALL OFF
From garden pizza oven to city shop
CANOTTO Pizza has brought Detroit-style slices to Cathcart. Dominic Morton dreamed up the business weeks before the first lockdown hit and has persevered to provide a local collection service that is winning over new customers.
“I’m a home cook really. My hobby has taken over my life,” he says.
After giving up alcohol he found there was a void in his social life and boredom set in.
He started making dishes in the kitchen to pass the time and always seemed to circle back to pizza.
“I had this image in my head of the first time I tried a pizza when I was younger and I couldn’t find anywhere in Glasgow that could get me back to that taste, so I started making it myself” he says.
“I bought a pizza oven and built a shed in the back garden to put it in. This is about three or four years ago. I started inviting people around and they thought the pizza was really good. Folk would be phoning asking to come over.”
From this modest, improvised pizza hut, Dominic began to think about whether he could start his own business. “I was working in engineering and every day I’d be going to my work thinking about making pizza” he says.
“A lease for a place in Cathcart popped up that used to be a beauty parlour. It was just a shell of a unit but it was the space I needed. I signed the lease. Then I went home and told my wife,” he laughs.
“I had closed my eyes and jumped in feet first. Thankfully she was very supportive of me making a change.”
His wife Gillian is now front of house at Canotto as the couple take orders by phone Thursday to Saturday.
The lease was signed in February 2020 and hospitality closed the next month. They served their first pizza in July last year and have continued from there.
The menu includes Detroit pizza and a pizza base that’s somewhere between New York and Neapolitan style.
Dominic had researched different pizza traditions and was intrigued by the Detroit story.
“The slices are made in blue steel pans that we import from the United States. Sicilian immigrants got the original pans from local car factories in Detroit and that’s how it started.
“I like the look of the pizza with the crispy cheese at the edges and they taste fantastic. We added it to the menu and that’s what people kept coming asking for so we ordered more pans.”
Current favourite toppings include fennel salami, kalamata olive with buffalo mozzarella, luganega sausage or pepperoni with spicy honey.
Dominic and Gillian are at 8 Margaretta Buildings, Cathcart, G44 4EE. Telephone orders are on 07907 738607.
Little Jack’s Food Truck
LOCAL folk with long memories may have had a sense of déjà vu when they saw Little Jack’s Food
Truck set up on Commerce Street in December last year. Joanna Jeffries’ business had started out in the area in 1995 before setting out on a food adventure, catering at festivals and events across the country. “I’ve worked with Glasgow City Council on events like the Christmas markets for many years and I spoke to them about returning to the area. With no events, I wanted to see if we could build up some regular customers and it was nice to be here again after so many years,” Joanna said.
Their American tinged menu is available 7am3pm Monday to Friday. “We will get construction workers and there has been a movie production filming in the streets around the Kingston Bridge so we have had the crew coming over for their breakfast or their lunch.” Joanna says Little Jack’s are passionate about whatever type of food they make and that her kids have joined the family business to help out as they get established. At festivals the food truck is known for buttermilk chicken waffle cones. At the new pitch, you’ll find chilli cheese hot dogs, beef burgers, fried chicken wraps, soup and nachos. The most popular item on the menu right now?
“A roll and square sausage is what most of our customers are looking for,” Joanna admitted.
See instagram.com/ littlejacksfoodtruck for more