His soon-to-open 10-seat pizzeria is located inside the old Lorraine Mills in Pawtucket. The restaurant is named for the same pop-up brand he’s used while collaborating with chefs and running a waitlist for Detroit-style pies for five years around the greater Providence area. No longer a one-man show, Cauti has three other employees who will help run the shop. They’ll officially open their doors on May 1.
“This past summer I was questioning if this is what I wanted to be doing,” said Cauti, citing “typical restaurant burnout” and rising food costs. “I snapped out of it, and when this space became available, I was basically like, ‘I’m going all in or it’s nothing.’”
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Cauti put all of his own money into the restaurant, designed it with his fiancée, and collaborated with his kitchen manager (who previously worked at The Chanler in Newport) on choosing a rotating selection of natural wine and New England-produced beer.
They’ll sell whole pies ($18 for a small and $25 for a large, which he said could easily feed four to eight people) and slices, salads, focaccia, desserts, and possibly a few other specials. For salads, he’ll have the staple Caesar, and then a rotating special salad that will be updated regularly. For desserts, think of chocolate chip cookies and olive oil cakes.
His pies are made from a mix of King Arthur flour and Maine Grains, a freshly-milled, organic and heritage grain wholesaler in Skowhegan, Maine. He uses local produce, but ensures they don’t have additives.
“I’m really focused on the ingredients. It makes the final product so much better, even if I have to sacrifice a little out of my own pocket to make it happen,” he said.
A longtime drummer, Cauti also created a 40-hour playlist that’s a mix of artists like Neil Frances, Kowloon, Billy Bahama, Jungle, Born at Midnite, and sir Was. And he has plenty of other ideas centered around music, including hosting listening nights where he’ll create a special playlist or focus on a new album release. He purchased large speakers on Facebook Marketplace, which are hoisted above the tables and counter stools, sitting along a collection of fresh greenery.
A Guy and His Pie is not exactly a slice shop, but he was inspired to create this space with New York’s legendary slice shops, like L’Industrie, in mind.
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“People can come in for pizza, but they can also come and have some snacks, drink some really good wine, and listen to tunes,” said Cauti. “I never wanted this to look or feel like just a pizza shop.”
A Guy and His Pie Pizzeria is located at 560 Mineral Spring Ave. in Pawtucket, R.I. aguyandhispie.com, 401-495-4614.
MORE FOOD NEWS AROUND NEW ENGLAND
🥞 Around Massachusetts: Vermont’s Skinny Pancake has quietly expanded to the North Shore with a new spot in Peabody. Nine, with a well-known restaurateur and a pedigreed chef, will replace Barbara Lynch’s legendary No. 9 Park this spring. East Village restaurateur Jae Lee is opening Korean gastropub Nowon in the Seaport District of Boston. Expect juicy burgers and ’90s hip-hop.
🧀 Around Vermont: After being vacant for nearly 20 years, the South Hero Causeway location of the former Sand Bar Inn will become a restaurant again, according to Seven Days. The Windham Foundation has sold its historic Grafton Village Cheese business to Vermont Farmstead Cheese in South Woodstock.
☕ Around Rhode Island: In Narragansett, American Food Partners has acquired seafood supplier NGC Inc, which conducts business under The Town Dock name. In Lincoln, Public House is a new cafe from the owners of WeRoast Coffee Co. In May, they’re planning to expand with a dinner menu and cocktails.
Thanks for reading The Food Club.
✍️ This newsletter is written and produced by Alexa Gagosz.
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Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
