For many people food creates an environment to connect and share with loved ones. The goal of Hooray for Pizza Day is to participate and provide in that by being a place you can bring your favourite people to. We connected with Co-owner and Co-founder Sash Warunkiewicz to learn more about their story.
What is your business called and what does it do?
We are Hooray for Pizza Day. We make a Detroit-style pizza, with a twist. Our light and fluffy dough, with a playful flavour profile, is truly a unique experience.
The name is inspired by those exciting nights when your parents would order in a pizza, let you drink soda that you weren’t normally allowed to drink, and stay up late watching movies. Our mission is to capture that feeling and mix it with our passion for food quality and flavour. For us every day is pizza day – and it’s always delicious!
What made you want to do this work?
In 2018 my fiance and I survived an arson-induced apartment fire. It was the dark days after this event that really got the ball rolling. Every day afterwards felt like a struggle. The day-to-day tasks of just going to work felt overwhelming. The thing we looked forward to everyday was coming home, cooking together, and creating recipes. Cooking was our creative safe space, it was our reason to laugh, smile, be goofy and play. And nothing came close to the sense of satisfaction when a recipe turned out. Now, I have been in the industry for 14 years. During that time I was lucky enough to find a new position that got me excited to get out of bed each day (shout out to Mary Be Kitchen). But for Adam, working in an office was torture.
Why spend 40 hours a week doing something you don’t love when you never know what the next day holds? So Adam left the office to get back in the kitchen. Fast forward a few years, Adam and I were selling the most delicious and unique pizzas out of the kitchen in our new condo through the Cookin app.
Now, having the opportunity to have a professional kitchen at Comedy Bar Danforth is a dream come true. We love what we do every day.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
We want people to gather over delicious food, connect, and share lifelong memories. We want to be the place you take someone special to. So many spots take your money and rush you out. Between us and Comedy Bar, the shared goal is to make a night out something to celebrate again and again.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Anyone and everyone. Bening at the comedy bar opens so many doors for us. Who doesn’t love a good piece of pizza, saucy wings, fresh salad, or hand-cut fries while having a good laugh?
How does your business make money? How does it work?
We have just opened up our dine-in location at Comedy Bar Danforth (2800 Danforth Ave). Currently, we are not on delivery apps – but getting on DoorDash soon!
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
What makes us different from the other pizza shops in the city? Our passion and creativity speaks for itself. We love eating a dish and then playing with how we can turn that flavour profile into a pizza. Every pizza we have on our menu has MANY drafts we have tasted to bring you the best in the final product.
Before we launch the pie to the public, we can make up to 10 variations of the same pizza to pick and choose what works and doesn’t on each. It is then we bring it all together to make one bonkers pie.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
Our seasonal/speciality/collab pizzas are my absolute favourite to do. We never get bored of playing with flavour and getting feedback from our friends, family, and industry peers. It is always a party at a tasting session! On that note, cooking for people is like wearing my heart on my sleeve, it is a very vulnerable thing to do. Being that vulnerable to anyone who can walk in can be tough!
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
It is very specific to anyone in our industry or anyone who is caught up on The Bear: What do you call a group of line cooks? A HEARD!
Where can we follow you?
Instagram @hoorayforpizzaday
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Well, Toronto’s hottest fried chicken place is Tokyo Hot Fried Chicken. It has everything and is not what you would expect from a fried chicken place. They have a very similar mindset as us, where they love to play with flavour, and sauces, and try new things. The owners are also genuinely kind and passionate people.
The dine-in location is also super cool and very Instagramable. It is a must-try.
